High Drama As Mamata Races To I-PAC Chief’s Kolkata Residence With Police During ED Raid; Claims TMC Data Targeted

Mamata Banerjee accused the Enforcement Directorate of politically motivated raids on I-PAC, alleging attempts to seize sensitive TMC data, and announced statewide protests in response. The BJP hit back, calling her intervention during the searches unconstitutional and an interference in a central agency’s investigation.

High political drama unfolded in Kolkata on Thursday as West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee rushed to the residence of Pratik Jain, the head of political consultancy firm I-PAC, while the Enforcement Directorate (ED) was carrying out search operations. Banerjee alleged that officials attempted to seize Trinamool Congress (TMC) hard disks, internal documents, and sensitive party data during the raids.

The ED said the searches were part of an investigation into a money laundering case. Operations were conducted both at Jain’s home and at the I-PAC office in Kolkata. I-PAC provides political consultancy services to the ruling TMC and manages the party’s IT and media operations.

Videos circulating on social media showed Banerjee arriving at Jain’s residence and later at the I-PAC office, visibly agitated as she pushed past journalists amid loud scenes.

Calling the raid “politically motivated and unconstitutional," Banerjee described Jain as the party’s IT chief and accused the agency of targeting the TMC ahead of elections.

“They have raided the residence of our IT chief. They were confiscating my party’s documents and hard disks, which had details about our candidates for the assembly polls. I have brought those back,” Banerjee said, as quoted by news agency PTI.

She questioned the role of central authorities, saying, “Is it the duty of Home Minister Amit Shah and the ED to take away all my party documents? If I visit the BJP party office, what will be the outcome? Under the SIR, 5 lakh names have been deleted. Just because there is an election, they are taking away all my party’s documents.”

Issuing a challenge, Banerjee added, “What will happen if we reciprocate this ED search by raiding the BJP party offices in Bengal? We are exercising restraint.”

She accused the BJP of using central agencies to undermine her party. “If you cannot fight with us, then why are you coming to Bengal?” she asked, daring the BJP to defeat the TMC “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,” Banerjee said.

Later, the chief minister announced that the TMC would hold protests across West Bengal in the afternoon, condemning what she described as the “ED loot” of party documents during the raids.

BJP Hits Back

The Bharatiya Janata Party strongly criticised Banerjee’s actions. Suvendu Adhikari, Leader of the Opposition in the West Bengal Assembly, described her visit to Jain’s residence during the ongoing ED search as “unconstitutional” and an attempt to interfere with a central agency’s investigation.

“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,” Adhikari told reporters outside Jain’s Loudon Street residence, adding that the ED should take appropriate action against Banerjee.

(With agencies' inputs)