ED raids TMC political consultant, sparks threat of protest rally from CM Mamata

Poll-bound West Bengal reported high drama on Thursday as Central probe agency Enforcement Directorate conducted raids at the Kolkatta office and residence of I-PAC’s chief Pratik Jain who is the political and social media consultant for the ruling Trinamool Congress in the State.

While ED alleged searches were part of a money laundering probe into an alleged multi-crore rupee coal pilferage scam, West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee threatened to lead a protest rally on Friday against the probe agency.

Both, the ED and I-PAC hence have moved the Calcutta High Court over the central agency’s searches where the former alleged interference in its investigation, while I-PAC challenged the legality of the searches. The unprecedented turn of events has generated much controversy and turned up the heat in poll-bound Bengal, becoming the latest flashpoint between the Mamata Government and the BJP.

Interestingly, the development came on a day when BJP national president J P Nadda reached West Bengal on a two-day visit to participate in several meetings and “accelerate” the party’s preparations for the upcoming assembly polls in West Bengal. His visit comes after last week’s visit by Home Minister Amit Shah.

Mamata Banerjee rushed at the residence of Jain in south Kolkata and its office in Salt Lake amid an ongoing ED raid, alleging that the central agency was attempting to seize the TMC’s internal documents, hard disks and sensitive data linked to its election strategy.

In a statement, the ED alleged that the CM entered Jain’s residence and took away key evidence including physical documents, electronic devices. The central agency claimed that Banerjee had also gone to the I-PAC office from where the CM, her aides and police forcibly removed documents and electronic evidence. Jain is the co-founder of the Indian Political Action Committee, or I-PAC and succeeded its previous chief, Prashant Kishor, poll strategist-turned political leader.

Central forces had sealed the entry and exit points of the multi-storey building where I-PAC’s office is located. Without engaging with central force personnel, Banerjee accessed the building through the basement and took a general lift to reach the 11th floor, where the office is situated, despite a separate VIP lift arrangement being available.

The episode is reminiscent of a dramatic standoff in 2019 at the same Loudon Street area, when the CBI searched the bungalow of then police commissioner Rajeev Kumar, prompting Banerjee to rush to the spot and later stage a dharna in central Kolkata.

Mamata said the raid at the residence and offices of Jain, “the in-charge of my IT cell”, was politically motivated and unconstitutional. Banerjee, also the TMC supremo, arrived at Jain’s residence around noon, minutes after Kolkata Police Commissioner Manoj Verma reached the spot, and stayed for 20-25 minutes before emerging with a green folder in her hand.

 “They have raided the residence and offices of our in-charge of IT cell. They were confiscating my party’s documents and hard disks, which have details about our party candidates for the assembly polls. I have brought those back,” Banerjee told media. She accused the ED officials of walking away with hard disks, mobile phones, laptops, candidate lists and internal strategy documents of the ruling party. “Is it the duty of the ED to collect political party data?” she asked.

Banerjee described the search as an act of “political vendetta”, and accused Union Home Minister Amit Shah of misusing constitutional agencies to intimidate opposition parties. “This is not law enforcement. Is this how the nastiest and naughty home minister functions, who cannot protect the country and is sending agencies to harass before elections?” she said, later adding, “After this, you will be reduced to zero. I am sorry Mr Amit Shah, the Prime Minister must control his home minister.”