TMC leader Abhishek Banerjee on Friday asserted that he has never shied away from any investigation and questioned what he described as a "double standard" of the BJP government, after the CID sought to serve him a notice over an alleged provocative speech made during the assembly election campaign.
Hours after a CID team visited his Kalighat residence, the Diamond Harbour MP said he had always cooperated with investigating agencies, and suggested that officers inform him in advance before visiting his house.
"I have never evaded any investigation. Whether it was the ED, CBI or CID, whenever I have been summoned, I have appeared and cooperated," the TMC national general secretary told reporters here.
Referring to his appearance before the CID on Thursday in the signature forgery case linked to the selection of the Leader of Opposition in the assembly, Banerjee said he spent nearly five-and-a-half hours answering questions.
"Only yesterday I was questioned by the CID for more than five hours and extended full cooperation. If I am not at home, a notice can be handed over to someone present in the house. Since they were unwilling to do that, they had to wait till I returned," he said.
"The meeting at our leader's house was fixed beforehand. I was not at home. My request is simple – please contact me before coming next time," Abhishek said.
Hours after TMC MP Kalyan Banerjee unleashed a no-holds-barred attack on Abhishek Banerjee, accusing him of arrogance in handling party-related affairs, the latter appeared to downplay the allegations, saying he wouldn’t speak anything against his fellow leader.
Abhishek said, “Kalyan Banerjee is older than me. He has the right to express his views. He has seen me since childhood. I won’t speak anything against him."
The CID team reached Banerjee's residence on Friday afternoon to serve a notice in connection with a case arising out of a complaint over remarks allegedly made by him during an election rally ahead of the assembly polls.
According to CID officers, the TMC MP was not at home when they arrived. Family members and office staff informed the investigators that he had gone to attend a pre-scheduled meeting at the nearby residence of Trinamool Congress chief and former chief minister Mamata Banerjee.
The case relates to remarks allegedly made by Banerjee during the election campaign when he said that "DJs will be played after May 4" and that "however liberal Mamata Banerjee may be, a reply will be given after May 4".
The assembly polls results were announced on May 4.
The comments had triggered complaints from opposition parties, which alleged that the remarks amounted to an indirect threat to political opponents.
Questioning the basis of the case, Banerjee asked why similar action was not taken against Union Home Minister Amit Shah for remarks made during the West Bengal assembly election campaign.
"If action is being taken against me for saying DJs will be played after May 4, then why was no FIR lodged against Amit Shah when he said TMC workers would be ‘hung upside down’ to straighten them?" Banerjee said.
"At that time, the Election Commission was in charge of law and order. No action was taken because then they would have had to proceed against Amit Shah as well. Now that there has been a change of guard in the state, a case has been lodged against me. We will challenge this disparity before the court," he said.
Meanwhile, BJP MLA Sajal Ghosh dismissed Banerjee’s allegations, saying the claims are “absurd”.
“Why will an investigating agency give advance notice so that he can remove evidence? If he has any grievance regarding the investigation, he is free to move court," Ghosh said.
The complaint was initially lodged at Baguiati Police Station and later investigated by the Cyber Crime Police Station under the Bidhannagar Police Commissionerate before being transferred to the CID.