Trinamool leader falls sick during ED grilling, doctors on standby

Kolkata, July 22 (IANS) Former Education Minister of West Bengal and Trinamool Congress Secretary General Partha Chatterjee fell sick while facing a marathon interrogation by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in connection with recruitment irregularities in West Bengal School Service Commission (WBSSC), here on Friday.

The ED officials reached the residence of Chatterjee, who is currently the state Commerce and Industries Minister, at Naktala in south Kolkata at around 9 am on Friday and his questioning was going on till the filing of this report.

It is learnt that a little after 3 pm, Chatterjee complained about uneasiness and breathlessness. The ED officials, with the help of the aides of the minister, immediately informed his personal doctor.

Soon a team of three doctors reached the residence of Chatterjee, checked him and gave him some medicines. After about 45 hours, Chatterjee felt relieved, though the doctors advised him to undergo an ECG.

However, the ED officials continued with their activities at the residence of Chatterjee. The doctors have been kept on standby at another room in the minister's house.

Reacting to the development, state Finance Minister Chandrima Bhattacharya said that several leaders and ministers of the party have faced tremendous mental pressure because of the excesses of the central agencies like the CBI and ED.

"Earlier, senior leaders like late Subrata Mukherjee, late Tapas Paul and Sudip Bandopadhyay were harassed by the central agencies. Some of them even faced untimely death because of such mental pressure. We want to caution the BJP and the Union government that if anything happens to any of our leaders because of the excesses of the central agencies, we will not remain silent and take the Centre head on," Bhattacharya said.

State Transport Minister and Kolkata Mayor Firhad Hakim said that although the Calcutta High Court ordered only CBI inquiry into the WBSSC case, the agency has unnecessarily roped in the ED to imply a money laundering angle.

"This has been done deliberately to harass our leaders and ministers," he said.