A day after a tense face off with the Enforcement Directorate (ED) during searches at the Kolkata office and residence of political consultancy firm I-PAC, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is set to lead a protest rally on Friday.
The Trinamool Congress (TMC) chief had announced the march soon after the ED action, alleging that the central agency was attempting to ‘loot’ her party’s documents under the guise of investigation.
According to party sources, the rally will begin from the Jadavpur 8B bus stand and proceed to Hazra crossing, covering a distance of over five kilometres. Banerjee has appealed to party workers and the public to join the march in large numbers.
Referring to Pratik Jain as the head of the TMC’s IT cell, Banerjee claimed the ED searches were driven by political vendetta. She alleged that the agency was trying to access sensitive party data, including election strategies and internal information.
ED–Mamata Showdown In Kolkata
Dramatic scenes unfolded in Kolkata on Thursday when Banerjee reached the residence of I-PAC chief Pratik Jain while ED officials were conducting searches there.
As per HT reports, ED and the chief minister offered sharply different versions of the incident. While the agency accused Banerjee of entering the premises and removing crucial evidence, the TMC supremo countered that ED officials were seizing important party documents, including hard disks and financial records.
Defending her intervention, Banerjee questioned the agency’s intent. “If they try to frame me, create false cases or take away our documents, should I not resist?” she asked.
Fury At I-PAC Office
Television visuals showed Banerjee brushing past media personnel and security as she arrived at Pratik Jain’s office during the searches. The ED action, according to reports is linked to a money laundering investigation related to an alleged multi crore coal pilferage scam.
“They raided the house of our IT chief and were confiscating party documents and hard disks containing details of our Assembly candidates. I brought them back,” Banerjee was quoted as saying.
Later, she alleged that the agency had taken away all critical data, including voter lists, and claimed such raids typically occur just ahead of elections. Assembly polls in West Bengal are expected in the coming months.
Files, Chaos And The ‘Naughty HM’ Remark
Escalating her attack, Banerjee accused the Centre of using central agencies to intimidate opposition parties before elections. She described Union Home Minister Amit Shah as “naughty”, alleging misuse of investigative agencies.
“This is not law enforcement. Is this how a Home Minister functions unable to protect the country and instead harassing parties before elections?” she said.
She also urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to rein in his Home Minister and defeat the TMC through democratic means. “You are trying to steal our papers, strategies, voter data and Bengal itself. By doing this, the seats you expect to win will drop to zero,” she warned.
Visuals from the scene showed confusion as individuals were seen rushing with files while media cameras crowded the area. Banerjee was also seen holding documents in a green file as she addressed reporters, reiterating her charge that the ED attempted to seize sensitive organisational data during the raids.
About the Author
