So Abhishek Banerjee did not attend the first meeting of the INDIA alliance’s coordination committee in Delhi. Instead he headed to the Enforcement Directorate’s office in Kolkata where he was summoned for questioning in an educational recruitment irregularities case. He left his residence around 11:12 and reached the ED’s seventh floor office at about 11:34 and the questioning started around 12:10, continuing well past 7 in the evening (and is still continuing at the time of going to press).
According to Trinamool, the date of September 13 was hardly a coincidence. Sources in Trinamool feel that the All India Trinamool Congress general secretary was prevented from attending the first coordination committee meeting because of “political vendetta” unleashed on its political rivals by the Centre using its agencies. Alleging that Didi’s nephew and the “Number Two” in the grassroots party is being targeted as part of a conspiracy , a section of the INDIA alliance’s coordination committee partners decided to keep a seat empty in protest. There were twelve parties present during the meeting. Trinamool was supposed to be the thirteenth party.
However, the BJP has shot back saying that the ED’s investigation is going on as per law and the date of September 13 was decided on because of an order issued by the Kolkata High Court asking the ED to submit proof that the investigation is being carried out with due diligence by September 14. In the order Amrita Singh of the Kolkata High Court had also asked why not everyone whose names had come up during investigation had been questioned yet.
The name of the Trinamool all India general secretary and member of Parliament had reportedly come up in connection with a company called Leaps and Bounds, which, owned by Banerjee came up during investigation into the educational recruitment irregularities .
Political commentators feel that Abhishek’s decision to choose to go for questioning as per the ED notice even at the cost of not being able to attend the INDIA Alliance’s first coordination committee meeting could earn a certain degree and respect and sympathy. “His prioritizing the ED notice could be seen as the reflection of a responsible and law abiding leader and that is important as the state heads to Parliamentary elections.