THE West Bengal CID on Sunday conducted marathon questioning of TMC MP Abhishek Banerjee and party MLA Kunal Ghosh in connection with its probe into the alleged forgery of legislators’ signatures on documents related to the appointment of the Leader of Opposition in the Assembly, officials said. The TMC national general secretary was questioned in the case for the second time in four days. Banerjee, who appeared before investigators at the CID headquarters ‘Bhawani Bhavan’ in south Kolkata in the morning, was questioned for more than eight-and-a-half hours before he left for his Kalighat residence in the evening. Ghosh, the MLA from Beleghata, was interrogated for nearly four hours. The latest round of questioning comes amid a series of investigations involving the TMC MP, who is facing scrutiny from multiple agencies in different cases.

 

Speaking to reporters after emerging from the CID office, Ghosh claimed that he and Banerjee were questioned face-to-face during part of the interrogation. “I have answered all their questions. I have cooperated with their investigation,” he said. According to a well-placed source in the investigating agency, CID officers first questioned the two leaders separately before bringing them together for a joint session. “The interrogation has been documented. Questions were asked about the meetings that took place, who attended them, who signed the resolution and how the documents were prepared and submitted,” the source said. 

 

 

REBEL Trinamool Congress MP Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar’s son Baidyanath Ghosh Dastidar has sent a legal notice to former West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and several TMC leaders, including Mahua Moitra, Kalyan Banerjee, Sougata Roy and Sonali Guha, denying allegations that he had sought a party ticket from the Barasat Assembly Constituency. This came as the TMC is grappling with its most significant internal crisis in recent years, triggered by a crushing electoral defeat in the West Bengal Assembly elections. The party’s stability is under severe pressure as a growing number of MPs and parliamentarians openly revolt against the leadership of Mamata Banerjee and the influence of the party’s national General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee. In a post on X, Baidyanath Ghosh alleged that Mahua Moitra “falsely claimed that his mother, Kakoli Ghosh, was crying for an MLA ticket for him. “Mahua Moitra has falsely claimed that my mother was crying for an MLA ticket for me. 100 % lies. Disagreements should be fought politically, not by dragging private individuals and family members into the dispute. I reserve my legal rights,” the post read.

 

In a separate X post, Baidyanath wrote, “I categorically deny claims that I or my mother, Dr. Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar, sought a Barasat Assembly ticket. I also deny statements allegedly made that my mother and I consume alcohol.” In the legal notice, Baidyanath has sought a public clarification and apology within 15 days, asserting that he “neither sought nor desired any nomination for the Barasat Assembly Constituency” and had no political ambition in that regard. “Under instructions from and on behalf of my client, Baidyanath Ghosh Dastidar, a distinguished psychiatrist and medical professional, I hereby issue the present legal notice,” the notice read.