TMC rallies in Delhi, Kolkata against ED raid on political consultant, I-PAC

Trinamool Congress (TMC) on Friday held massive protest in its ruling state Capital Kolkatta and national Capital simultaneously with West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee accusing the Enforcement Directorate (ED) of acting as a political tool of the BJP to “steal” her party’s internal strategy from political consultant agency I-PAC. ED had conducted a raid at I-PAC offices which provides political consultancy to the TMC.

Addressing a rally in Kolkatta after a massive 10-km-long protest march, Banerjee said she had intervened at the raid site purely in her capacity as the chairperson of the Trinamool Congress and not as the CM. “What I did yesterday, I did as the TMC chairperson. I have done nothing illegal,” she said, referring to her unexpected arrival at the venue of ED’s searches at I-PAC offices and the residence of its India head Pratik Jain. In New Delhi, several TMC MPs were detained while staging a protest outside the Home Ministry. The Delhi Police evicted the protesters from the spot.

Meanwhile, the ED has approached the Calcutta High Court, seeking a CBI probe against Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, senior police officials and others after facing obstruction during its raids in Kolkata against political consultancy firm I-PAC and its director. There was “direct” involvement of the highest political executive and abuse of police power, the ED alleged and demanded a CBI probe into the matter. It urged the high court to “direct the CBI to register FIR(s) and investigate the entire incident, including the role of the present respondents being the chief minister, police officials, and all persons acting in concert”. The ED also sought “immediate seizure, sealing, forensic preservation, and restoration to lawful custody of the ED” of all digital devices, electronic records, storage media, and documents “illegally and forcibly” taken away from the search premises. The high court is expected to hear the petition next week.

Banerjee alleged that the agency entered the premises early in the morning and that by the time she reached, “a lot could have already been taken away”. “You entered at 6 am; I went at 11.45 am. By then, many things might have been stolen,” Banerjee said, accusing the ED of attempting to access her party’s strategic data ahead of the 2026 Assembly elections.

 Escalating her confrontation with the Centre, Banerjee claimed that “all agencies have been captured” and accused the BJP of forcibly occupying power in several states. “You captured Maharashtra, Haryana and Bihar by force. Do you think you can capture Bengal too?” she asked, adding that any political attack only strengthens her resolve. “If someone tries to hit me politically, I get politically rejuvenated and reborn,” she said.

 The chief minister also trained her guns on the Election Commission, alleging that the BJP had “stolen” the mandate in Maharashtra with the poll panel’s help and was now attempting to replicate it in Bengal through the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) by deleting genuine voters’ names. She announced that her party’s “next destination” would be the Election Commission in New Delhi to oppose what she called harassment of voters during SIR.

 A Delhi Police officer said the MPs were detained and taken to Parliament Street Police Station, as protests are not permitted outside the Home Ministry’s office. The MPs were released by the police around 3 pm.

 Holding placards and raising slogans alleging misuse of the ED, MPs Derek O’Brien, Satabdi Roy, Mahua Moitra, Bapi Haldar, Saket Gokhale, Pratima Mondal, Kirti Azad and Sharmila Sarkar tried to enter the Kartavya Bhavan, which houses the Home Ministry.

 The MPs were stopped from entering the building, after which they staged a protest at the gate, disregarding requests made by the police to vacate the area. They were then forcefully evicted from the spot.

 Visuals of O’Brien, Moitra, Haldar, Roy, and Gokhale being physically picked, pushed and shoved in a bus flooded social media, with several of the clips being shared by the TMC on its official X handle. The MPs also shared visuals from the bus, in which they were seen raising slogans against the Union government.

 Lok Sabha MP Kirti Azad said, “We were holding a peaceful protest against the unconstitutional raid by the ED. Amit Shah wanted to steal our election strategy and the names of candidates.” “We want to know why the ED attacks only the opposition,” he said, while adding that Narayan Rane, Ajit Pawar and Himanta Biswa Sarma were branded as corrupt by ruling leaders, but no action was taken against them.