‘Cannot scare us’: CM Mamata hits back
KOLKATA: Hours after the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) summoned her nephew and Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Abhishek Banerjee’s wife and her sister for questioning in connection with the coal pilferage case, chief minister Mamata Banerjee said on Sunday that she is not intimidated by anyone adding that “a tiger cub is not scared of fighting cats and rats”.
“Muscle flexing or threats of jail sentence cannot scare us. We have stood before guns in the past. We won’t be scared of fighting rats. I will not surrender as long as I am alive. You cannot break our spine. A tiger cub is not scared of cats and rats,” Banerjee said addressing an event to celebrate International Mother Language Day.
Earlier in the day, Abhishek Banerjee tweeted a photograph of the notice that CBI additional superintendent of police Umesh Kumar left at his residence. Abhishek’s wife, Rujira, was not present at their residence when the five-member CBI team arrived around 2 pm. The agency has also summoned TMC MP’s sister-in-law, Menaka Gambhir in the case.
“At 2pm today, the CBI served a notice in the name of my wife. We have full faith in the law of the land. However, if they think they can use these ploys to intimidate us, they are mistaken. We are not the ones who would ever be cowed down,” he tweeted. CBI officials said they have plans to question Rujira Banerjee on Monday morning.
In a statement on the CBI action, the TMC said that people will give a befitting reply to the BJP during the polls. “So predictable. So desperate. All BJP allies have left them. So the only loyal allies are CBI and ED. CBI is the only ally of the BJP left,” the party said, adding that it was not scared and will fight it out. The agency has not yet made an official statement before the media.
“If anyone has committed any wrong, then the law will take its course. Those who are culprits should be punished. No one should try to politicise the matter,” BJP national general secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya was quoted as saying by news agency PTI.