When questioned about his resignation, here's how Partha Chatterjee responded
The media approached the minister outside the ESI hospital in Joka, where he and his associate Arpita Mukherjee had been taken on Wednesday morning for a routine medical examination before being questioned by the ED.
FollowSenior Bengal minister Partha Chatterjee, who is being held by the Enforcement Directorate in connection with the teacher recruitment scam, on Wednesday responded to the questions from the media about whether he would resign given his arrest; the leader said why he should do so.
The media approached the minister outside the ESI hospital in Joka, where he and his associate Arpita Mukherjee had been taken on Wednesday morning for a routine medical examination before being questioned by the ED, which is looking into the money trail in the scam that has rocked the state.
Chatterjee was taken to the medical facility under tight security and whisked away to the ED office at the CGO complex in Salt Lake about two years later.
To reporters' repeated questions about whether he is considering resigning as a minister, a visibly irritated Chatterjee responded, "What is the reason (to tender the resignation)?"
On Wednesday, ED agents began raids in various locations related to arrested Bengal minister Partha Chatterjee's close associate Arpita Mukherjee in connection with the ongoing investigation into irregularities in school employment, according to a central agency official.
He added that raids are taking place in several locations, including Rajdanga and Belghoria, where three properties belonging to Arpita were discovered.
"We discovered a couple of Arpita's flats in Belghoria (in the city's northern outskirts) and another in Rajdanga (in the city's southern outskirts), where she has an office. Our officers are searching the area," he stated.
According to the official, the ED sleuths are attempting to open the main door of one of her two Belghoria flats, the keys to which have not been found.
When asked about the minister's interrogation and his associate's interrogation, the official stated that while Mukherjee has been 'cooperative throughout,' the former Bengal education minister has been 'noncooperative.' Chatterjee is now the Minister of Parliamentary Affairs.
"We're having trouble grilling Chatterjee. He has been obstinate and noncooperative with our officers. He is not responding to our inquiries," according to the official.
Chatterjee was taken back to the ED office at the CGO complex in Salt Lake after being discharged from the hospital after about two hours of medical tests.
According to the official, he will be questioned alongside Arpita and Manik Bhattacharya, the TMC MLA and former West Bengal Board of Primary Education president.
The ED arrested Chatterjee, also the TMC secretary general, on Saturday as part of its investigation into the School Service Commission's recruitment of teachers.
(With inputs from PTI)
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