By Smritika Banerjee
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee launched an attack on the Union Government on Thursday, creating a very large political drama in Kolkata. This was after the Enforcement Directorate (ED) raided the residence of Pratik Jain, I-PAC’s director and also its consultancy firm.
While the searches were still continuing, the Chief Minister arrived at the scene in Salt Lake and Loudon Street and accused the central agency of stealing the Trinamool Congress’s election strategies and candidate list ahead of the upcoming polls by acting as a tool for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
Banerjee labelled Union Home Minister Amit Shah as “nasty and naughty,” alleging that he is utilizing the ED to bypass democratic competition and dismantle the opposition’s technical infrastructure.
According to the ED, raids were linked to a long-standing money laundering investigation involving a coal smuggling syndicate, which Banerjee described as a “crime” and a form of “political vendetta.”
Top police officials, including the Kolkata Police Commissioner and the State DGP, entered the searching premises accompanying Banerjee, escalating the situation. After that, ED approached the Calcutta High Court, alleging that the Chief Minister and state authorities forcibly removed crucial electronic evidence, including hard drives and documents, thereby obstructing a federal investigation.
Conversely, the TMC supremo claimed that sensitive data related to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and she was merely “defending” her party’s intellectual property.
As TMC prepares to hit the streets with massive protest marches, the standoff highlights the deepening rift between the state and the center. Banerjee challenged BJP to “fight democratically” rather than using means like “data theft” and “muscle power”, while BJP has countered by calling her “unconstitutional.”