TMC's Abhishek slams ED for summoning him on first I.N.D.I.A panel meeting day

Trinamool Congress national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee on Sunday claimed that the Enforcement Directorate (ED) has sent a notice to him to appear before it on September 13, the day the first meeting of the coordination committee of the opposition bloc I.N.D.I.A will be held in the national capital.

Banerjee is a member of the coordination panel of the opposition bloc.

"FIRST meet of I.N.D.I.A’s coordination comm is on 13th Sept in Delhi, where I'm a member. But, @dir_ed conveniently served me a notice just now to appear before thm (them) on the very same day! One can't help but marvel at the timidity & vacuousness of the 56-inch chest model," Banerjee posted on X in a veiled attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The first meeting of the 14-member coordination committee of the opposition bloc I.N.D.I.A will be held in the national capital on September 13, leaders said on Sunday.

The meet, to be held at the residence of NCP supremo Sharad Pawar, will chalk out the coalition's strategies and future programmes, they said.

Notably, Banerjee had earlier been summoned by the ED several times in connection with a cattle smuggling case.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had recently alleged that the BJP was conspiring to implicate her nephew Abhishek by ED before the Lok Sabha polls.

Reacting to the allegation of TMC's Diamond Harbour MP, senior BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari said, Abhishek, as an accused in the case, cannot expect any special treatment from the central agency.

"Abhishek Banerjee is an accused in the case and investigations are going on. The probe agency has the right to call him whenever it wants, and he, as an accused, has the right to proclaim his innocence. But he cannot expect any special favour...He must be ready to face more such situations in the coming days," Adhikari, the Leader of Opposition in the West Bengal Assembly, told reporters.

He also claimed that the BJP has nothing to do with the investigations against the TMC national general secretary.

Adhikari, the Nandigram MLA, also said "Abhishek Banerjee is used to get special favour from his party, the state administration and police, but he cannot expect similar treatment from central agencies."