Kolkata: Congress’s Rahul Gandhi went after Trinamool while campaigning in Bengal on Saturday, asking why the ED had summoned him for 55 hours of questioning while CM Mamata Banerjee — in whose state numerous alleged scams had surfaced — had faced no such scrutiny. Trinamool hit back hard, calling Gandhi’s remarks “irresponsible” and pointedly noting that he had been “feeding his dog” while Trinamool seniors were being hounded by central agencies.“I am on bail. A case is lodged against me every 10-15 days. I was questioned by the ED for 55 hours. How many hours was Mamataji questioned? Have they snatched her home or disqualified her from the assembly?” Gandhi asked at rallies in Serampore, Shahid Minar and Metiaburuz. He alleged that Modi attacks Banerjee during campaigns but stays silent after elections — proof, he said, that “Congress is their real enemy, not Trinamool.“
Gandhi cited the Saradha and Rose Valley alleged scams as evidence of Trinamool’s corruption and accused both Modi and Banerjee of prioritising power over jobs. “What Modi is doing in India, Mamataji is doing in Bengal. They promised five lakh jobs in 2021; in reality, 84 lakh youth registered for unemployment allowance,” he said. He also blamed Banerjee for “goonda raj,” coal smuggling and the conditions that allowed the RG Kar rape and murder to occur.Trinamool hit back immediately. Trinamool senior and state minister Shashi Panja called Gandhi’s remarks “irresponsible,” saying Trinamool seniors were receiving ED and CBI summons even during elections “while he was busy playing with his dog and feeding it biscuits.” She questioned Congress’s credibility as a BJP challenger, noting the party had lost Maharashtra, Haryana, Delhi and Bihar after the Lok Sabha elections. “Let the people of Bengal — and later India — decide who is truly capable of defeating the BJP,” she said.
