“Will arrest Abhishek before Lok Sabha elections”, Mamata Banerjee claims to have received this message from ‘someone’

Days after the Enforcement Directorate raided TMC MP Abhishek Banerjee’s firm Leaps and Bounds, Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday cast aspersions that he may get arrested ahead of Lok Sabha polls.

“I have received a message from someone stating they will arrest Abhishek Banerjee ahead of LokSabha. You have seen what they have done to his office computers. Without letting anyone know they have taken his computer and in another they have created and implanted files. If you think you are masters of computers then even we know how to use technology. Everything has been sent for forensic, list prepared” said Mamata Banerjee on Monday during a public meeting organised by Trinamool Congress Chatra Parishad owing to their foundation day in Kolkata.

Last Monday, August 21, ED raided the office of Leaps and Bounds in connection with the ongoing recruitment scam probe. Sujay Krishna Bhadra, one of the accused arrested in May this year, was the Chief Operating Officer at Leaps and Bounds. ED had identified TMC National Gen Secy Abhishek Banerjee as the CEO of the same firm. The raids had lasted for close to 18 hours. ED had seized documents, bank statements and one computer hard disk. Later on August 25, a staffer from Leaps and Bounds lodged a complaint against ED alleging that files unknown and not related to the firm were downloaded on two computers of leaps and bounds which were not seized by ED. The complaint added that 16 files were downloaded at a time when the office was under the seizure of ED for their raids when no one else had access to the office. “We have already found evidence that those files were planted by them and thus a case has been registered. The person who lodged the complaint is now getting threatened that they will arrest him. I tell them to arrest all…. I have never seen a Government this vindictive in my life” said Mamata Banerjee

Sources say the “unknown downloaded files” are pertaining to a couple of schools and colleges in Bengal. Interestingly ED’s probe concerns alleged irregularities in recruitment of teachers in Bengal schools. Kolkata police Cyber Cell has already started the probe, the concerned hard disks have also been seized and preserved by the police.

From the same forum, Abhishek Banerjee, TMC National General Secretary has lashed out at the BJP for using central agencies to harass him. “I reiterate the day you find any proof against me, I will walk to the gallows. You don’t have to put ED CBI after me. The day I came back, the very next day ED raided my office and planted 16 files. What if CBI now raids the office and recovers those files after 7 days, then they will claim they are my doings” said Abhishek Banerjee. He lamented that a media trial has been on against him where “facts aren’t verified”.

Mamata Banerjee’s remarks came days before the Mumbai chapter of Opposition India bloc meeting between August 31 and September 1. Like TMC, other opposition parties including Congress, NCP, Shiv Sena and Aam Aadmi Party have been alleging misuse of central agencies by BJP for “vendetta politics”. Deputy CM of Delhi Manish Sisodia was arrested by CBI in February this year whereas Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut was arrested by ED in August last year. “We haven’t sold our souls, we will not bow down. We are the soldiers of Mamata Banerjee and we fear none,” said Abhishek Banerjee as speculations continued as to who possibly had sent the message to Mamata Banerjee intimating to her of Abhishek’s possible arrest.​