After the defeat of Trinamool Congress (TMC) in the West Bengal assembly polls, Mamata Banerjee’s nephew and MP Abhishek Banerjee is on the back foot with FIRs against him. On Monday, Abhishek moved the Calcutta High Court, seeking the quashing of an FIR filed against him for allegedly making inflammatory remarks during the recently concluded West Bengal assembly poll campaign against Home Minister Amit Shah.
The complaint was filed by a social activist named Rajib Sarkar under the Biddhanagar police Commissionerate, after the election results were declared. Another FIR filed by former TMC MLA and junior minister Giasusddin Mollah against Abhishek, alleges intimidation by a police officer in Diamond Harbour area, for not agreeing to the way autcratic way in which Abhishek was running the party.
The Kolkata Municipal Corporation(KMC) has also sent notices to Abhishek for violations in 17 properties owned by him, his family and the company ‘Leaps And Bounds’. Notices were served under Section 400(1) of the Kolkata Municipal Corporation Act 1980. The KMC has asked for full building plans and proof of legal construction under the KMC law. Escalators and lifts were also part of these properties, for which KMC has sought more details. Some notices served to Abhishek’s properties were pasted on the outside façade of the building premises or handed over to a representative.
The KMC has given property owners seven days to respond and explain why demolition action should not be initiated. If no satisfactory explanation is provided within the stipulated period, the civic body will proceed with demolishing the illegal portions of the structure and recover the demolition costs from the owners.
A notice was also served to the Abhishek Banerjee residence on Harish Mukherjee Road. Earlier, Z-plus security cover and additional security infrastructure outside his residence and offices had been withdrawn following the TMC’s defeat in the assembly polls.
There appears to be more trouble brewing for the TMC. On Monday, Biswajit Poddar, also known as Sona Pappu, was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate after nearly nine hours of questioning. Pappu had been absconding for around three months after his name surfaced in a land-grabbing case in the Ballygunge area of South Kolkata and appeared before the ED office on Monday.
The ED had earlier arrested businessman Joy Kamadar in the same case on April 20 and Shantanu Sinha Biswas on May 14. Kamadar, the managing director of Sun Enterprise, is accused of routing illegal transactions worth nearly ₹1,100 crore through shell companies.
In another setback for the TMC, the ED arrested former minister Sujit Bose on May 11 under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act in connection with the alleged jobs-for-bribes scam linked to Dum Dum Municipality. Bose, who earlier served as vice-chairman of the South Dum Dum Municipality, had reportedly been summoned by the ED ahead of the elections.
The BJP government has projected the ongoing investigations as part of a larger anti-corruption drive. While the ED continues its crackdown, action by the Kolkata Municipal Corporation over alleged violations linked to Abhishek Banerjee has further fuelled perceptions of the TMC’s declining political clout.
Speaking at a public meeting in Kolkata on Monday, Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari alleged that 'Leaps and Bounds' had multiple properties linked to Abhishek Banerjee and his family. He also named Sona Pappu and others, accusing the TMC of looting West Bengal.
For the new BJP government, the developments are also part of a larger perception battle. Having come to power on the back of strong anti-incumbency sentiment against the TMC, the saffron party is attempting to project itself as serious about acting against corruption, even if it involves influential figures once considered close to the previous ruling establishment.
