The Enforcement Directorate on Wednesday summoned Trinamul Congress leader Mahua Moitra and businessman Darshan Hiranandani to appear at the agency's headquarters in New Delhi on Thursday for questioning in a foreign exchange violation case, sources in the ED said.
"The case under scrutiny involves transactions linked to a non-resident external (NRE) account, along with various other foreign remittances and funds transfers," said an ED official.
Apart from the ED, Moitra is also being probed by the CBI. Last week, the CBI had raided multiple premises linked to the Trinamul leader in connection with a probe into the cash-for-query allegations against her.
Moitra, who had persistently questioned in the Lok Sabha Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s purported ties with Gautam Adani, was expelled from the House after its ethics committee held her guilty of “unethical conduct”.
The then Krishnanagar MP had been accused by BJP member Nishikant Dubey of asking questions in Parliament in exchange for cash and gifts from businessman Hiranandani.
The Trinamul Congress has fielded Moitra again from Krishnanagar in the Lok Sabha polls.
The summons to Moitra came a day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi had called up the BJP’s Krishnanagar candidate Amrita Roy and said he was working to ensure that the amount "looted" from Bengal's poor people and attached by the ED was returned to them.
The Trinamul Congress had thrown its weight behind Moitra even before fielding her for the second time from the Krishnanagar constituency.
Chief minister Mamata Banerjee is scheduled to begin her election campaign from the Krishnanagar constituency on March 31.
On Wednesday, the party said it was evident that attempts were being made to harass Moitra so that she couldn't devote time to campaign in her constituency.
"A narrative is being created with the Prime Minister calling up the BJP candidate of Krishnanagar and the ED summoning Mahua to Delhi. The elections have been announced. Why couldn't ED summon Mahua to its Calcutta office?" wondered Sukhendu Sekhar Roy, a Trinamul spokesperson.
Narada case
The CBI has summoned Mathew Samuel for questioning in the Narada sting operation, which was released ahead of the Assembly elections in Bengal in 2016. Insiders in the agency said Mathew had been asked to appear before a team of officers in Calcutta around 11am on April 4.
Criticising the timing of the summons, Mathew said it was an act of political drama.
"I now strongly believe that summoning me during elections is merely an act of political drama. I am not willing to partake in such mischievous activities," Mathew told journalists. "Should further investigation be deemed necessary, I kindly request that directions be taken from the Honourable Calcutta High Court. I do not wish to be part of any political drama."
