'Great gesture': TMC's Kalyan Banerjee thanks Dhankhar for birthday wishes, days after mimicry row
Kolkata, Jan 5: TMC leader Kalyan Banerjee on Friday lauded Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar's "great gesture" of wishing him on his birthday, days after the MP's mimicry of the Rajya Sabha chairman snowballed into a political storm.
Banerjee also stressed the importance of moving forward, leaving behind past misunderstandings.
"It is indeed a great effort and gesture by the Honourable vice president to wish me on my birthday. I am truly overwhelmed that he spoke to me and my wife and invited us for dinner at his place," Banerjee, who turned 67 on Thursday, told PTI.
"Life must always move on, leaving behind past misunderstandings," the Srirampore MP said, when asked if Dhankhar's gesture could improve relations between the two.
The Trinamool Congress MP had also expressed gratitude to Dhankhar on social media on Thursday for his birthday greetings.
Controversy erupted last month after Banerjee mimicked Dhankhar during an opposition protest on the Parliament stairs, detesting the suspension of over 140 MPs. The act was video-recorded by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi.
Banerjee's actions drew strong condemnation from the BJP.
Dhankhar, who is also a senior advocate, had then said in the House that he would not tolerate any disrespect to Parliament or the constitutional post of the vice president.
Banerjee later asserted that mimicry is a form of expression, and the right to dissent and protest is a fundamental right.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
ED cracks down on suspected interstate liquor racket, raids 9 sites in Arunachal
Itanagar (PTI): The Enforcement Directorate has carried out coordinated searches at nine locations across Arunachal Pradesh in connection with a suspected large-scale interstate liquor smuggling and money laundering network, officials said on Monday.
The action, taken under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), is part of an expanding probe that points to a syndicate exploiting tax differentials among states.
Officials said liquor designated for sale within Arunachal Pradesh was allegedly diverted and supplied illegally to markets in Assam and other states.
The searches, conducted earlier this week, spanned multiple towns such as Itanagar, Naharlagun, Seppa, Ziro, Daporijo, Namsai and Roing, targeting wholesale liquor businesses suspected of being linked to the network.
According to officials, the investigation stems from a series of FIRs registered by Assam Police over the illegal transportation of liquor from Arunachal Pradesh into Assam.
Inputs from the Assam Excise Department further strengthened the case. An Enforcement Case Information Report (ECIR) was registered on October 17, 2024, and later widened through an addendum incorporating 173 additional FIRs.
Earlier searches conducted on February 4 last year, at premises linked to three alleged key operators, believed to be major liquor manufacturers, had revealed indications of a well-coordinated operation.
Investigators suspect that the network functioned through a chain of manufacturers, bonded warehouses and wholesalers, while masking real ownership using proxy arrangements such as tribal partnerships and dummy licence holders.
During the latest ED operations, the agency found that several wholesale units were operating under proxy licences issued in the names of local individuals, while actual control remained with the suspected masterminds.
Financial scrutiny revealed that between 51 and 90 per cent of total credits in certain bank accounts comprised unexplained cash deposits.
Investigators also flagged a pattern of invoice splitting, with transactions deliberately kept below Rs 2 lakh to avoid scrutiny. In one instance, more than 200 invoices of identical value of Rs 1,99,554 were generated within a single month at one location.
On-ground staff reportedly confirmed that records, including stock registers and daily cash collections, were being routed to offices associated with the alleged controllers.
The ED said it seized approximately Rs 40 lakh in unaccounted cash during the searches.
In a significant finding, 14 seals, some purportedly belonging to the Excise Department of the Arunachal Pradesh government, were recovered from one of the premises. These are suspected to have been used to create fake transport permits to facilitate the unauthorised movement of liquor.
Further investigation is underway, officials added.
