Daijiworld Media Network – Kolkata

Kolkata, Jan 8: Tension gripped Kolkata on Thursday as West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee rushed to the residence of Prateek Jain, head of the prominent political consultancy firm I-PAC, during an ongoing Enforcement Directorate (ED) raid. The CM alleged that officials attempted to seize Trinamool Congress (TMC) documents, hard disks, and sensitive internal data related to upcoming assembly polls.

Addressing the media, Banerjee called the raid "politically motivated and unconstitutional." She said, “They have raided the residence of our IT chief. They were confiscating my party’s documents and hard disks, which has details about our candidates for the assembly polls. I have brought those back.”

Banerjee questioned the role of the Home Ministry, asking, “Is it the duty of Home Minister Amit Shah and the ED to take away all my party documents? If I go to the BJP office, what will happen? Just because there is an election, they are taking away all my party’s documents.”

Meanwhile, BJP’s Leader of Opposition in the West Bengal Assembly, Suvendu Adhikari, criticised Banerjee’s intervention, terming her visit to Jain’s residence during the raid as “unconstitutional and interference” in the central agency’s probe. He said, “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 also drew parallels to past incidents, claiming Banerjee had similarly gone to the Kolkata Police Commissioner’s residence during a CBI raid.

The situation has added to the political heat in West Bengal ahead of the assembly elections, raising concerns over the ED’s investigation and the role of state authorities in ongoing probes.