The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Thursday said it had seized ₹1.4 crore in cash from the premises of a Kolkata-based company and identified a person who was “handling illegal cash of a Minister” allegedly generated from coal smuggling.
A press statement by the agency said that raids were conducted on Wednesday at the office of Gajraj Group situated at Earle Street, Kolkata.
“A specific intelligence input was gathered that one highly influential political person was making an attempt to launder the proceeds of crime originating from coal smuggling through his close confidant Manjit Singh Grewal @ Jitti Bhai,” the statement by the ED said.
According to the agency, of a total cash payment of ₹9 crore for ‘Salasar guest house’ at an “under-valued price”, ₹1.4 crore was “unaccounted” money.
The cash seizure by the ED turned into a political issue in West Bengal with the BJP and the Left parties using this to target the Trinamool Congress. BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari alleged that Manjit Singh Grewal, named in the ED press statement, has connections with Trinamool Congress.
“Manjit Singh Grewal @ Jitta; who handled @MamataOfficial’s Bhabanipur By-election campaign, has been named in @dir_ed’s Press Release. He can be seen alongside CM & her politician brother Kartik Banerjee. Will CM clarify, like Partha Chatterjee, she’d also take action against him?” Mr. Adhikari tweeted. He shared photographs of Mr. Grewal with Trinamool leaders.
CPI(M) Rajya Sabha MP Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharya said that cash is being piled with Trinamool leaders across the State and a proper investigation will bring everything to light.
The Trinamool Congress leadership dismissed the charges and accused the ED of trying to target the party. “There are many BJP leaders from whose premises ED can seize huge stash of cash but ED is targeting West Bengal. If cash has been seized, then investigation can be made but what has Trinamool got to do with it,” Minister Firhad Hakim said.
The coal smuggling scam involves fraudulently misappropriating coal from the coal reserve of leasehold areas under the dominion of Eastern Coalfields Limited and also from coal stock parked in Railway sidings for sale and supply. Both the ED and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) have quizzed Trinamool Congress general secretary Abhishek Banerjee in the scam though the MP’s name has not figured in the chargesheet filed by the agencies.
