Kolkata, Feb. 27 -- From the mega meeting at Netaji Indoor Stadium, Trinamool Congress (TMC) national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee on Thursday said that he was happy to see the fear of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) who mentioned the name of one "Abhishek Banerjee" in the chargesheet filed by it in a case but the identity of the person whom the agency had named.
Banerjee once again said that he would go to the gallows himself if any of the allegations brought against him could be proved by the Central agency.
He questioned the CBI over its reluctance to reveal the full identity of "Abhishek Banerjee".
"It is shown in the news that the CBI has filed a charge sheet against me. My name has been mentioned twice in the charge sheet. Who is Abhishek? Where is his residence? No detailed introduction had been given there...CBI is speaking in an impersonal tone. I like this fear," Banerjee said.
"Doublespeak is not in my nature. I have said before that if anyone can prove any corruption, I will go to the gallows. I am saying the same thing again. Abhishek Banerjee will never bow down in front of anyone except the common people," he asserted. Meanwhile, the CBI in its third supplementary charge sheet, has mentioned an "Abhishek Banerjee" in connection with a 2017 recorded conversation discussing illegal appointments and bribes. Though the CBI did not explicitly identify the TMC MP, the chargesheet alleges a demand of Rs 15 crore for illegal appointments and mentions an audio recording recovered during the probe.
Responding to the allegations, Banerjee's lawyer Sanjay Basu released a statement dismissing the charge sheet as "misleading and unsubstantiated". "The alleged third supplementary charge sheet is nothing more than a fishing expedition aimed at harassing my client. The CBI has failed to provide a shred of corroborative evidence, with no supporting documents appended to its claims," the statement read.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.