E-Paper
'What if we...': Mamata Banerjee's big dare after I-PAC chief raided by ED
Mamata Banerjee also claimed that voter names were being deleted from the state's electoral rolls during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process.
West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday lashed out at the Centre and the ruling BJP over the ED raids on the I-PAC office and the home of the organisation's chief in the state capital, Kolkata.
This comes after the Enforcement Directorate (ED) raided the Indian Political Action Committee (I-PAC) chief Pratik Jain's house in Kolkata. High drama ensued when Banerjee reached Jain's home during the raids, with the BJP slamming it as “interference”.
“Karte loot bolte jhooth. If you (BJP) cannot fight with us, then why are you coming to Bengal? Defeat us in a democratic way. You are using agencies to loot our papers, our strategy, our voters, our data, our Bengal... By doing all this, the number of seats you were getting will be reduced to zero. I am sorry, Mr Prime Minister, please control your Home Minister,” news agency ANI quoted Mamata Banerjee as saying.
She also claimed that voter names were being deleted from the state's electoral rolls during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process.
“What will be the result if we raid the BJP party office? On one side, they are deleting the names of all the voters by carrying out the SIR in West Bengal. Because of the elections, they are collecting all the information about my party,” Banerjee questioned, adding that the TMC government is "exercising restraint”.
The ED has been conducting searches at 15 locations across the country as part of its investigation into a fake government job scam in West Bengal, allegedly involving an organised network that duped candidates by offering fraudulent appointments.
BJP calls Mamata Banerjee's visit to the I-PAC chief's house ‘interference’
Leader of the opposition in West Bengal Assembly and BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari termed Mamata Banerjee's visit to I-PAC chief Pratik Jain's house during the ED raid on Thursday as "unconstitutional and interference" in the central agency's probe.
Condemning Banerjee's visit to Jain's residence during the central agency's raid, he said that the ED should take steps against the chief minister as per law.
"I feel that the chief minister and the Kolkata police commissioner's visit was unethical, unconstitutional and direct interference in the central agency's investigation," PTI quoted Adhikari as telling reporters.
Jain is the co-founder of I-PAC. He is also the head of the IT cell of the Trinamool Congress, the ruling party in West Bengal.
The consultancy firm worked with the Trinamool Congress and the West Bengal government after the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.
What did the ED say on the I-PAC raid?
The ED responded to Mamata Banerjee's statements regarding the agency's raid on I-PAC chief Pratik Jain's house, stating that the search is “evidence-based” and not targeted at any political establishment.
“The search is evidence-based and is not targeted at any political establishment. The search is ongoing at 10 places (6 in West Bengal and 4 in Delhi). The case relates to illegal coal smuggling. The search covers various premises linked to the generation of cash, hawala transfer, etc in that case. No party office has been searched. The search is not linked to any elections and is part of a regular crackdown on money laundering,” ED said in a statement.
"The search is conducted strictly in accordance with established legal safeguards. Certain persons, including constitutional functionaries, have come to 2 premises (out of 10), intruded illegally by misusing their position and snatched away the documents," the agency added.
