"Stop Me If You Can": TMC's Abhishek Banerjee On ED Summon For 3rd October

Trinamool Congress MP Abhishek Banerjee has announced that he won't be attending the Enforcement Directorate's questioning on 3rd October in connection with the school jobs scam in Kolkata. Instead, he will lead a protest rally in New Delhi against the Centre's decision to withhold West Bengal's dues under MGNREGA.

Banerjee expressed his determination, saying, "The fight against the deprivation of WB and its rightful dues shall persist regardless of the obstacles. No force on Earth can hinder my dedication to fighting for the people of WB and their fundamental rights. I'll be in Delhi joining the protest on Oct 2nd & 3rd. STOP ME IF U CAN!" He posted this on X, (former Twitter)

Banerjee had earlier commented on the central government's summons by the ED for 3rd October, which coincided with TMC's planned protest for pending dues from the central government. He posted a draft of the summons on his personal X handle, taking a jab at the BJP-led central government, suggesting that this move has left them "truly perturbED, rattlED, and scarED!"

Previously, Banerjee had been summoned by the ED in connection with an alleged teacher recruitment scam in September, causing him to miss the opposition INDIA bloc's first Coordination Committee meeting in Delhi. Banerjee, who is a member of the INDIA Coordination Committee, had to skip the meeting due to his ED summons at Kolkata's ED office.

Reportedly, on October 2, Abhishek Banerjee, along with other TMC MPs, MLAs, and leaders, will pay their respects to Mahatma Gandhi at Rajghat in the national capital (Delhi) on his birth anniversary.

Additionally, a TMC delegation is set to meet the Union Minister for Rural Development and Panchayati Raj, Giriraj Singh, on 3rd October. During this meeting, they will address the issue of "non-release of dues" under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA).