BJP's Suvendu Adhikari Calls for Imprisonment of Mamata Banerjee Amid ED Raid Controversy
Political Tensions Rise in Kolkata
Kolkata: On Sunday, BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari demanded that Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, along with DGP Rajeev Kumar and senior police officer Manoj Verma, face imprisonment. He accused them of hindering an Enforcement Directorate (ED) raid linked to the political consultancy firm I-PAC, claiming they violated constitutional laws.
Adhikari, who leads the opposition, pledged to defeat Banerjee in the upcoming assembly elections in her Bhawanipur constituency.
Speaking at a rally in South Kolkata, he alleged that the Chief Minister interfered during the ED's operation by 'snatching files and a laptop' from officials, which he described as an obstruction of government duties.
He emphasized that the ED is constitutionally empowered to conduct searches and interrogations, stating, 'Yet the chief minister herself reached the spot and obstructed the search.'
On January 8, Banerjee unexpectedly visited the I-PAC office and the residence of its director, Pratik Jain, during an ED raid related to a money laundering investigation linked to a coal scam. She was accompanied by senior police officials.
Witnesses reported seeing Banerjee leaving Jain's residence with several documents. I-PAC is known for providing political consultancy to the Trinamool Congress (TMC).
Adhikari insisted, 'We want to see Mamata Banerjee, DGP Rajeev Kumar, and Police Commissioner Manoj Verma in jail for obstructing official work and search operations.'
He mentioned that the ED has approached the Calcutta High Court, naming Banerjee as the primary accused and seeking to transfer the case to the CBI.
'The ED has approached the apex court and wants the investigation to be taken out of the state,' he remarked, calling it a wise decision by the agency.
Leading a protest march from Jadavpur 8B bus stand to Deshapriya Park, Adhikari accused Banerjee of 'destroying the dignity of her office' and interfering with judicial processes.
He expressed confidence in defeating Banerjee in Bhawanipur, stating, 'It is my responsibility to defeat her politically.'
Adhikari, once a protégé of the TMC supremo, had previously defeated Banerjee in the 2021 assembly elections from Nandigram by a margin of 1,956 votes. However, she later won the Bhawanipur seat by over 56,000 votes in a by-election.
The BJP rally was organized to counter a recent TMC march protesting Banerjee's alleged involvement in the ED raid and an attack on Adhikari's convoy in Chandrakona.
During the nearly two-hour march, Adhikari accused the TMC's legal cell of attempting to disrupt Calcutta High Court proceedings through coordinated messages, labeling it a 'dangerous trend.' He stated, 'When the judiciary is not allowed to function freely in Bengal, moving cases to the Supreme Court is the right step.'
Referring to Banerjee as the 'queen of thieves,' Adhikari claimed that since 2021, the state government has effectively been run by I-PAC.
'Trinamool is no longer running the government. I-PAC is running Bengal,' he asserted, alleging that Rs 20 crore from a coal scam linked to Vinay Mishra was funneled through hawala channels to finance the TMC's election campaign in Goa.
He dismissed the TMC's recent protest march as an 'artificial theatre,' asserting that there is no genuine public support.
In response to the attack on his convoy, Adhikari stated he was 'not afraid.'
'If fighting this government means facing attacks, so be it. These struggles are necessary to remove the regime,' he declared.
Looking ahead to the 2026 Assembly elections, he called for the 'bisharjan' (immersion) of the current government and promised that a BJP-led administration would ensure central-rate dearness allowance for state employees, transparent recruitment through the SSC and PSC, and recovery of alleged laundered funds for the state exchequer.