Trinamool Congress MPs Protest Against Central Government's Tactics in Delhi
Protest Against Alleged Political Targeting
New Delhi: On Friday, eight MPs from the Trinamool Congress gathered for a demonstration outside Union Home Minister Amit Shah's office in the capital. They displayed placards stating, “Bengal rejects Modi-Shah’s dirty politics,” accusing the central government of using federal agencies to target opposition parties.
The protesting MPs included Derek O’Brien, Satabdi Roy, Mahua Moitra, Bapi Haldar, Saket Gokhale, Pratima Mondal, Kirti Azad, and Dr. Sharmila Sarkar. This protest coincided with West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's upcoming rally in Kolkata, which was aimed at addressing the Enforcement Directorate's (ED) raids on the political consultancy firm I-PAC.
During the protest, the MPs chanted slogans, claiming that the BJP-led government was misusing investigative bodies to intimidate opposition ahead of elections. Images from the scene captured the MPs holding signs denouncing what they termed as the “dirty politics” of the Modi administration.
Derek O’Brien and Mahua Moitra were briefly detained by law enforcement while protesting outside the Home Minister’s office, as security forces sought to prevent the blockade of access to the area.
Following their detention, O’Brien remarked, “Why are we being detained? Look at this. You are witnessing the actions of Amit Shah’s Delhi Police. All our MPs have been taken into custody.”
This protest came in the wake of ED raids on Thursday at I-PAC's Kolkata office and the home of its chief, Pratik Jain. Reports indicate that CM Mamata Banerjee visited the locations of the searches, accusing the central agency of attempting to seize sensitive documents related to the Trinamool Congress.
In response to a call from party leader and CM Mamata Banerjee, Trinamool Congress members organized protest rallies throughout the state on Thursday evening to denounce the ED's actions.
The ED conducted searches at I-PAC's office located in Salt Lake Sector V, where the consultancy has been assisting the Trinamool Congress since 2019. They also searched Pratik Jain's residence on Loudon Street.
After the searches, CM Banerjee was seen at Jain’s residence in central Kolkata, leaving with documents and a laptop that she claimed belonged to the Trinamool Congress and were pertinent to the upcoming Assembly elections.
Later, she visited the I-PAC office in Salt Lake, where police were observed removing files and diaries from the premises and placing them into her vehicle.
Banerjee accused the ED of 'looting' documents related to the party's election strategies, candidate lists, internal data, and financial records under the pretext of conducting raids.