Wife of Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP and Mamata Banerjee's nephew Abhishek Banerjee, Rujira Naroola Banerjee, has responded to a notice from the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) served to her on Sunday, 21 February.
Responding to the notice on Monday, Rujira Banerjee said that she'd be appearing for the investigation, even though she's "unaware of the reason" for which she's being "called for questioning in the subject matter of the investigation".
She's further said that she'd be available at her residence between 11 am and 3 pm on Tuesday, 23 February, and that the CBI may visit for investigation at that time.
The CBI Notice
Officials from the CBI reached the residence of Abhishek Banerjee on Sunday, 21 February, with a notice for Rujira, to appear for questioning in the coal scam case.
The CBI team reached his residence, 'Shantiniketan', in South Kolkata, at about 2 pm to deliver the notice. However, the notice was not delivered and they left in 20 minutes, as neither Abhishek nor his wife were at home.
Abhishek Banerjee’s sister-in-law, Menaka Gambhir, was also served a notice for questioning in the same case and was questioned at her residence on Monday, 22 February.
'Won't Be Cowed Down': Abhishek
Responding to the CBI notice, Abhishek, on Sunday, said that they (the TMC) are not the ones who would ever be cowed down.
Banerjee, in a tweet, said that they have full faith in the law of the land, but “if they think they can use these ploys to intimidate us, they are mistaken.”
Rujira Being Investigated in Same FIR as Coal Mafia Anup Majhi
Rujira Banerjee is being questioned in case of coal theft and pilferage that the CBI has been investigating in West Bengal. The CBI is investigating her on the basis of an FIR, filed on 27 November 2020 against Anup Majhi, alias Lala, the alleged kingpin of the illegal coal trading racket in the Asansol-Ranigunj belt of West Bengal. His deputy, Joydeb Mondol, is also named in the FIR.
In November 2020, CBI officers, the Enforcement Directorate (ED), and the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) raided 20 offices of Majhi in Kolkata and a few offices in Dhanbad, Purulia, and Asansol.
The agencies claimed that they found documents linking both Majhi and Mondal to an illegal coal empire worth Rs 20,000 crore.
‘So Predictable and Desperate’: TMC
The Trinamool Congress, in a statement, has blamed the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), alleging that the party is not scared of latter’s “new allies, CBI, and the ED”.
“So predictable. So desperate. All BJP allies have left them. So the only loyal allies are CBI and ED. We will fight it out. We are not scared. We believe people will give a befitting reply during voting,” said the Trinamool in a statement.
The CBI, in recent weeks, has raided multiple locations in connection with the coal pilferage scam in the state. CBI sources say that certain transactions from Rujira's bank account may have connections to the case.
On 19 February, a court in Kolkata summoned Union Home Minister Amit Shah in a defamation case filed by Abhishek Banerjee for comments made by the former at a rally in 2018. Shah or his representative have been asked to appear in court on Monday, 22 February.
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