Kolkata: After being questioned for 9 hours and 20 minutes by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in connection with the alleged teachers’ recruitment scam in state-run schools, Trinamool Congress national General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee on Saturday termed the ‘outcome’ of the probe agenciy’s action as a ‘Big Zero’.
“The outcome of this long interrogation is a big zero. It was a waste of time for me as well as for the interrogators. For the sake of propriety, I cannot divulge the details of the questioning. But the entire exercise has futile,” Banerjee told mediapersons after coming out of the CBI’s Nizam Palace office at around 9.40 p.m.
Banerjee also claimed that he has been made the single-point target of the BJP and the central probe agencies.
“If I was questioned just because Kuntal Ghosh took my name, why is the CBI not grilling the person named by Saradha chit fund accused Sudipta Sen? Sen had named Suvendu Adhikari and Sujan Chakraborty as the beneficiaries of the scam. Why is the CBI not questioning the person whose name was there in CBI’s FIR in the Narada sting operation case,” Banerjee questioned.
Banerjee also questioned the CBI’s decision to summon him for questioning at such a short notice.
“They served the notice physically at my residence on Friday when I was in Bankura as part of my mass outreach programme. Shouldn’t they have given me some more time? Why is it that the rules will be different for me and the BJP leaders,” he asked.
Banerjee also said that previously, the Congress had also used the CBI against its opposition forces, and now the BJP is doing the same.
“The activities of the central agencies are just meant to spoil my out-reach programme. But I will not succumb to pressure under any circumstance,” he said.
The Trinamool MP also claimed that since he had already filed a special leave petition in the Supreme Court in the matter, he could have avoided the questioning on Saturday.
“But I made it a point to come here and face the questioning,” he added.
(IANS)
