Central agencies targeting Oppn parties to harass us: Abhishek Banerjee

TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee on Thursday accused the central agencies of targeting opposition camps to serve interests of the ruling party at the Centre but wondered why summons are not sent to BJP leaders whose names surfaced in ponzi schemes.

Banerjee lashed out at the Enforcement Directorate (ED) after the agency summoned West Bengal Minister Moloy Ghatak in connection with its probe in the coal pilferage case and said the party would emerge stronger the more the Union government harasses it.

"The central investigating agencies are targeting opposition parties because the BJP has instructed them to harass opposition leaders. It is ironical that they have never summoned BJP leaders whose names have surfaced in ponzi scams," he told reporters here.

The TMC leader wondered why the central agency wasn't investigating the alleged role of coal department officials in the coal pilferage case.

"I have heard that the ED has summoned Moloy Ghatak in some coal theft case. Tell me, who is responsible for the security in coal mines? It is the CISF, which is a central force and reports to the Home Ministry. If your house is robbed, will you question your neighbour or the security guard? Why isn't ED doing that?" he questioned.

"The more you harass Trinamool Congress leaders by using the CBI and the ED, the stronger we will emerge," he said.

Banerjee said the party would continue its fight against the anti-people policies of the BJP-led government at the Centre.

West Bengal BJP leadership dubbed the allegations "baseless" and said the ED is an independent agency devoid of any political influence.

"The BJP has nothing to do with the CBI or the ED investigations. The allegations are baseless. The agencies are free to probe leaders of any party if they want. We have nothing to say about it," BJP spokesperson Samik Bhattacharya said.