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‘BJP playing dirty games’: Mamata Banerjee on ED raid at Bengal minister’s house
The raids began around 6am on Thursday and continued till the evening, during which Mallick’s two houses in Salt Lake and his ancestral house in north Kolkata were raided. Officials also searched the house of Mallick’s personal assistant Amit Dey, and Mallick’s chartered accountant
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Thursday conducted searches at the premises of state minister Jyoti Priya Mallick in Salt Lake and Kolkata in connection with the alleged multi-crore ration distribution case in West Bengal.
Mallick holds the portfolios of public enterprises and industrial reconstruction and forest in the chief minister Mamata Banerjee-led cabinet.
“Searches were conducted in eight locations simultaneously in Kolkata, Salt Lake and Howrah,” said a senior ED official.
Following the raids, the Trinamool Congress (TMC) Supremo lashed out at the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led Centre, saying that even though federal agencies were raiding the houses of opposition leaders across the country, not a single BJP leader’s house was being searched.
“Before the election, you (BJP) want to raid everybody’s house? If this goes on, even I have lots of evidence. You may plan and come up with fake evidence, but we have original evidence, even pen drives. I don’t release them,” Banerjee said while speaking to the media.
On October 14, the ED arrested businessman Bakibur Rahaman from his home at Kaikhali on the eastern outskirts of Kolkata. According to ED officials, Rahaman is alleged to have close links with Mallick.
According to the agency, Rahman used to siphon off rice and wheat meant to be supplied to ration distributors, which was then sold in the open market. At least three first information reports (FIR) were lodged against him in Nadia in 2020, 2021 and 2022. The ED lodged an Enforcement Case Information Report (ECIR) in April this year and began its probe.
The raids began around 6am on Thursday and continued till the evening, during which Mallick’s two houses in Salt Lake and his ancestral house in north Kolkata were raided. Officials also searched the house of Mallick’s personal assistant Amit Dey, and Mallick’s chartered accountant.
Slamming the raids, Banerjee said that they would file an FIR against the ED and the BJP if something were to happen to Mallick.
“Mallick is not keeping well. He has high sugar levels. If he dies, we would lodge an FIR against the BJP and the ED. Earlier TMC MP Sultan Ahmed had suffered a cardiac arrest and died after being summoned by the CBI. Wife of TMC MP Prasun Banerjee also died,” Banerjee said.
Calling the BJP a ‘pathological liar’, the TMC supremo said that the BJP was playing a dirty game.
“If they show courtesy, we would do the same. If they think that they would send everyone to jail before the Lok Sabha elections, just like the British did to suppress the freedom movement, we are ready,” she said while adding that the dates of the Lok Sabha polls may be announced in the next four to five months.
The BJP hit back, saying that the chief minister has no right to use such words against the Centre and alleged that she was trying to save ‘thieves’.
“When a chief minister is a liar, she has no right to call the Centre a pathological liar. She doesn’t want an opposition who criticises her. She has allowed her nephew to run the government and herself tries to shield the thieves of her party,” said BJP legislator and leader of the opposition Suvendu Adhikari.
