Abhishek to appear before ED sleuths on September 13, likely to miss I.N.D.I.A coordination panel's first meeting

TMC general secretary Abhishek Banerjee is likely to appear before the Enforcement Directorate on September 13, a well-placed source in the party confirmed on Monday. He may have to skip the first meeting of the coordination committee of opposition bloc 'I.N.D.I.A' of which he is a member as it is slated to be held in the national capital on the same day if he appears before the ED, the source told PTI on condition of anonymity.

"Abhishek Banerjee is likely to appear before the ED officials on September 13 at its city office here," the source said when contacted.

Banerjee, who is the virtual number two in the party, is a member of the coordination panel of I.N.D.I.A.

On Sunday, the TMC leader posted on 'X' that he has been served a notice by the central probe agency to appear before it on September 13 for questioning.

"First meet of I.N.D.I.A's coordination committee is on September 13 in Delhi, in which I am a member. But, @dir_ed conveniently served me a notice just now to appear before 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 summons to the TMC MP comes weeks after the central probe agency conducted raids in the office of ‘Leaps and Bounds Pvt Ltd’ in the city in connection with the school jobs scam. The ED claimed that Banerjee is the chief executive officer of the company.

He had earlier been summoned by the ED several times in connection with a cattle smuggling case and had told the agency in June that he will be available for any questioning after the July panchayat poll in Bengal.