BJP Criticizes Mamata Banerjee Amid ED Raids in West Bengal
Political Tensions Rise in West Bengal
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) launched a strong critique against West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday. This attack followed her visit to the Kolkata office of the political consulting firm I-PAC, which was recently raided by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in connection with an alleged fake government job scam. In a post on social media, the BJP asserted that a sitting chief minister's presence at a site of investigation, where party documents and hard drives were being secured, indicates an attempt to conceal incriminating evidence rather than merely mitigating damage. The party questioned why a chief minister would rush to safeguard files if there was nothing to hide in West Bengal, emphasizing that the truth will eventually emerge and that the BJP will receive votes from the state.
ED's Investigations Spark Political Drama
The BJP's remarks came in the wake of dramatic political confrontations triggered by the ED's searches at various locations, including the I-PAC office. The ED conducted these searches as part of a nationwide investigation into an organized gang involved in fake government job placements, which allegedly defrauded candidates across multiple departments.
Mamata Banerjee's Response to Allegations
Mamata Banerjee visited the I-PAC office located on a public road, accusing the central agency of illegally seizing party-related data, laptops, mobile phones, and strategic documents. She claimed that forensic experts transferred data during the raid, labeling it a 'crime,' and challenged Union Home Minister Amit Shah to confront the Trinamool Congress (TMC) democratically in Bengal. The Chief Minister clarified that I-PAC is not a private entity but the official team of the All India Trinamool Congress (AITC). She alleged that the ED confiscated sensitive documents related to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the voter list, despite the TMC being a registered political party that regularly submits income tax returns.