Narada scam: West Bengal panchayat minister Subrata Mukherjee called by CBI, seeks time

Kolkata: Summoned by the CBI for his questioning of his alleged role in the Narada scam, West Bengal panchayat minister Subrata Mukherjee on Thursday failed to appear before the investigative agency and sought another date for the purpose. [caption id=“attachment_3764287” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Representational image. CNN IBN-Live[/caption] The CBI sources said Senior Trinamool Congress leader Mukherjee was summoned by the agency to explain his alleged involvement in the Narada sting operation, which shows many politicos and bureaucrats accepting cash from a fake businessman to accord official favour to his fictitious firm. “He has sought some more time and has told us that he would appear very soon before the CBI,” a senior CBI official said. According to the sources, the CBI would decide on the next date of appearance and subsequently issue another summon to Mukherjee. Posing as a businessman, journalist Matthew Samuels of Narada News had allegedly conducted a sting operation on several Trinamool leaders, including MPs, MLAs and ministers. The operation was aired just a fortnight before the 2016 West Bengal Assembly election and featured a dozen Trinamool leaders purportedly accepting cash from the representative of a fictitious company. Trinamool Congress MP Sultan Ahmed and MLA and Kolkata Municipal Corporation’s deputy mayor Iqbal Ahmed have already been interrogated by the CBI in the case.