The political confrontation between the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and the Trinamool Congress (TMC) intensified on Friday as a group of eight All India Trinamool Congress (AITC) MPs, including Mahua Moitra, staged a protest outside the office of Union Home Minister Amit Shah in New Delhi.
The MPs held a dharna while displaying placards and raising slogans, accusing the Centre of misusing central investigative agencies to target opposition parties ahead of elections. The protest comes a day after the ED conducted raids at the Indian Political Action Committee (I-PAC) office in Kolkata and at the residence of its chief, Pratik Jain.
Those present at the protest included Mahua Moitra, Derek O’Brien, Satabdi Roy, Bapi Haldar, Saket Gokhale, Pratima Mondal, Kirti Azad, and Dr Sharmila Sarkar. Visuals from the site showed MPs holding placards reading, “Bengal rejects Modi-Shah’s dirty politics,” as they alleged political vendetta against the ruling party in West Bengal.
I-PAC provides political consultancy services to the TMC and is also involved in managing the party’s IT and media operations.
The standoff escalated on Thursday after West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee made a dramatic visit to the locations where ED searches were underway. The chief minister alleged that the agency was attempting to seize sensitive party documents, calling the action an act of political intimidation.
Videos showing Banerjee leaving the premises with documents in hand quickly went viral on social media. The ED later stated that the search proceedings were peaceful until the chief minister arrived with a large police contingent.
Addressing reporters, Banerjee strongly criticised the BJP-led central government, accusing it of weaponising constitutional institutions to harass opposition leaders. She also targeted Home Minister Amit Shah, alleging that investigative agencies were being used to create fear before elections.
The ED, however, maintained that the raids were conducted as part of an investigation linked to individuals allegedly involved in generating proceeds from coal smuggling.
