ED issues summons to TMC minister’s daughter
After the Central Bureau of Investigation’s heat on West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s family in the coal smuggling case, another Trinamul Congress heavyweight’s kin has come under the scanner of a different central agency and also got its summons to face questioning over a suspected link to overseas financial transactions.
The top leader is state urban development and municipal affairs minister and outgoing Kolkata Mayor Firhad Hakim who is also a trusted lieutenant of the Trinamul Congress supremo. His daughter Priyadarshini Hakim has reportedly been called by the Enforcement Directorate to face grilling this week at its office in CGO Complex in Salt Lake on the overseas financial transactions.
ED sources claimed that a huge amount of money was sent abroad to a bank account during multiple foreign tours by Priyadarshini’s
husband Yasir Haider in the last couple of years.
The Union finance ministry’s agency has also come across a link of a foreign actress’ name with Yasir’s overseas visits, sources added.
Priyadarshini works at corporate communication department of the CESC. She was not available for comments. It is also not clear whether she would face the ED or not. Hakim, however, claimed, “I have neither heard nor do know anything about it.” and 3 pm tomorrow, i.e. 23 February 2021. You are requested to kindly inform me your schedule.”
In the afternoon a drama, however, unfolded when Kumar and his team went to grill Gambhir at her flat in an upscale housing complex at Anandapur off EM Bypass in the city but were denied entry by the security guards keeping the giant gate closed.
The CBI officers were seen waiting in their cars outside for almost an hour before they were allowed to go inside only by walking after parking their cars outside the residential complex.
Later, the CBI team questioned Gambhir for three hours and recorded her statement on `36 lakhs which used to be deposited by Anup Majhi alias Lala, the absconding kingpin of the coal smuggling case, monthly to the Kasikorn Bank account at Bangkok in Thailand and another bank in London.
BJP’S IT CELL chief Amit Malviya said Rahul Gandhi went to Puducherry and “true to his midas touch, Congress loses its government in the UT!”.
New Delhi, Feb. 22: As the Congress government in Puducherry fell after losing majority, senior BJP ministers and leaders took a dig at Rahul Gandhi saying it was due to his “Midas touch” that the party lost power in the Union Territory soon after his visit.
The Congress government in Puducherry fell on Monday after Chief Minister V. Narayanasamy resigned ahead of the confidence vote in the Assembly with the coalition ministry reduced to a minority due to a spate of resignations of party MLAs and a DMK legislator recently.
Seizing on the development, several BJP leaders, state functionaries and ministers took a dig at the grand old party and Rahul Gandhi’s leadership.
In a sarcastic tweet, Union minister Piyush Goyal said Rahul Gandhi’s Puducherry visit to strengthen has “gone well”.
“Congress loses power in Puducherry, reducing its presence to just 3 states, along with trivial existence in Maharashtra & Jharkhand. Few years from now, Congress will only exist in the books of history,” he said.
Another Union minister, Harsh Vardhan, also took a dig at the former Congress chief, saying, “The marvel of Sh @RahulGandhi Ji has worked again!”
“After losing out Puducherry, @INCIndia’s presence has shrunk to just 3 states Punjab, Rajasthan & Chhattisgarh, apart from
his
party being fringe players in Jharkhand & Maharashtra. Clean sweep on the cards it seems!” he tweeted.
Reacting to the development, BJP’s IT cell chief Amit Malviya said Rahul Gandhi went to Puducherry and “true to his midas touch, Congress loses its government in the UT!”.
After Congress lost its government in Puducherry, its presence has shrunk to just three states - Punjab, Rajasthan and Chattisgarh and in Jharkhand and Maharashtra, it is as good as on the margin, Malviya said.
“It’s just a matter of time before Rahul Gandhi achieves, which no other Gandhi has,” he tweeted.
BJP MP Rajeev Chandrasekhar claimed that Rahul Gandhi is “effectively doing a job of dismantling” the Congress all over the country too.
“Congress is left in 3 states only and in rest of India survives as B/C-teams of and on the coattails of parties like Shiv Sena, DMK,” he said in a tweet.
BJP general secretary C T Ravi said, “Rahul Gandhi goes to Puducherry, and the rest is history!!!”
Several BJP functionaries at the state level also took jibes at the Congress over the fall of government in Puducherry.
BJP leader from Andhra Pradesh Rameshnaidu Nagothu said after Puducherry, BJP workers invite Rahul Gandhi for a visit to West Bengal and Assam. Both Assam and West Bengal are poll bound.
BJP MLA from Maharashtra Siddhartha Shirole took a dig at Rahul Gandhi saying his leadership is helping millions
and now
in
Puducherry of Indians “fulfil their dream of Congress Mukt Bharat”.
“A feat that no other Gandhi family member could ever achieve,” he added.
Khushbu Sundar, who recently switched to the BJP from the Congress, took a swipe at her old party, tweeting, “Karma comes back. You reap what you sow.”
It was not just the BJP that took potshots at the Congress after it lost power in Puducherry.
Aam Aadmi Party, from its official Twitter handle, said, “Prove: Voting for Congress = Voting for BJP. Congress won MP but now BJP is ruling MP. Congress won Puducherry but now BJP is ruling Puducherry. Congress won Karnataka but now BJP is ruling Karnataka. Congress won Goa but now BJP is ruling Goa. Hence Proved: L.H.S.=R.H.S.”