Money laundering case; Mamta Banerjee's nephew will be questioned again

Kolkatta : The Enforcement Directorate is expected to question Mamata Banerjee's nephew, MP Abhishek Banerjee, and his wife Rujira Banerjee in an alleged money laundering case connected to the Bengal coal scam next week.

He cited the summons as evidence of the BJP's recent victory in the assembly elections in four states, and questioned the dismissal of the appeal he filed in High Court challenging the questioning in Delhi.

"I will go to the Supreme Court. That path is open to me. And we have faith in the topmost justice system in the country," Banarjee said.

In spite of his doctor's advice to stay home after a recent eye operation, Mr Banerjee said he was going to Delhi.

According to Banerjee, before he left for Delhi today, he had filed an appeal with the Delhi High Court, asking that he instead be questioned in Kolkata, since the case is related to Bengal.

"There is an ED (Enforcement Directorate) office in Kolkata. You can call me as many times as you like. I will come there as I have nothing to hide," he said.

After a lengthy hearing, the court initially reserved judgment. On March 10, however, the BJP won four states, and on March 11, the court dismissed his petition.

He added, "I have faith in the judiciary, but this cannot be a coincidence."

"The people of Bengal have defeated them and kicked out the outsiders from Bengal... they are irritated because we haven't surrendered... we will not surrender... this fight will have to go on...we will see it to the end," remarked by Mr Banerjee, the senior leader of Bengal's ruling Trinamool Congress.

It allegedly involves illegal mining of coal from Eastern Coalfield Limited's Kunustoria and Kajoria fields and the payment of regular kickbacks to Trinamool leaders of Bengal. Thousands of crores of government revenue are lost in pilferage each year.

Mr Banerjee was inducted in Delhi last September for questioning.

CM Mamata Banerjee has claimed that central agencies have turned their attention to her nephew's family and accused BJP ministers of "hand in glove" with coal mafias .