Dharmendra Pradhan attacks TMC's Abhishek Banerjee over corruption

Coming down heavily on the corruption in West Bengal, Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan said on Thursday that "Bengal is in corrupt hands" and wanted to know "why Abhishek Banerjee is so scared!" Pradhan is in the city to attend the BJP's organisational meetings and other programmes.

Pradhan's comments came a day after Trinamool National general secretary Abhishek Banerjee questioned the delay by the central agencies in delivering justice. Pradhan urged Banerjee not to take up the role of a judge and instead allow central agencies to carry out their duties. "Abhishek Banerjee is not a judge...The law will take its own course...Why is Abhishek scared? The law will find its own path. The person who is accused will get punished. Abhishek Banerjee should not function as a judge on his own. He is neither in-charge of the Central Forensic Laboratory, nor is he a judge. Why are you scared," he asked. Pradhan chaired a meeting of the Lok Sabha core committee members, assembly in-charges and district office-bearers of Dum Dum Lok Sabha constituency. He also held organisational meetings at the National Library in Kolkata. "Bengal is in the hands of the corrupt...In West Bengal, it is not only Naradaor Saradha scams but cow smuggling, coal smuggling, rice theft, drug-mafia related cases... Whether he (Abhishek) is related to these cases needs to be seen," Pradhan said.

Banerjee had said earlier that "not a single probe by the ED and CBI has come to any conclusion. This is because most of the cases are politically motivated...Former education minister Partha Chatterjee is in jail custody for more than 14 months. Who are the people who got justice in the course of a probe?" "The agency will surely do its work if crores of money is found in someone's house. They will not recommend the name of the education minister for Padmasree," Pradhan


said