West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has launched a sharp political counteroffensive after the Enforcement Directorate carried out raids at the residence of Indian Political Action Committee (I-PAC) chief Pratik Jain and the organisation’s Salt Lake office in Kolkata. The Trinamool Congress leader accused the central government of using investigative agencies as political tools to destabilize her party ahead of the upcoming Assembly elections.
Calling the ED action an attack on democracy, Mamata Banerjee said the raids were designed to weaken the Trinamool Congress and disrupt its election planning. She openly challenged the Bharatiya Janata Party to fight TMC politically instead of resorting to what she described as pressure through money and muscle power.
During the raid, Mamata Banerjee personally visited Pratik Jain’s residence, alleging that officials were confiscating confidential party documents, digital data, and hard disks related to TMC’s election strategy. Emerging with a green folder in hand, she told reporters that she had recovered the party’s crucial files, claiming that the agency had no right to seize materials belonging to a registered political party.
I-PAC, founded by political strategist Prashant Kishor, is the Trinamool Congress’s poll strategist and manages its IT, media, and campaign operations. Mamata Banerjee alleged that the ED copied internal data including candidate lists, mobile phone records, and strategic documents, which she said could severely compromise the party’s electoral preparation.
“This is not law enforcement, this is political vendetta,” the chief minister said, accusing the central government of misusing constitutional agencies to intimidate opposition parties. She warned that forcing TMC to recreate its election plans would unfairly interfere with the democratic process.
Mamata Banerjee also questioned the timing of the raids, pointing out that they began early in the morning when staff were not present at the I-PAC office. She said the operation was carried out in a way that suggested deliberate targeting rather than a routine investigation.
Asserting that her party was exercising restraint, she warned the BJP not to mistake it for weakness. She said that if similar actions were taken against BJP offices in Bengal, it would lead to chaos, but TMC had chosen to remain responsible despite what it sees as provocation.
In response to the raids, the Trinamool Congress announced statewide protests across West Bengal, scheduled for Thursday afternoon. The demonstrations will be held against what the party described as the illegal seizure of TMC’s election documents during the ED action.
With Assembly elections approaching, the confrontation between the Bengal government and the Centre has sharply intensified. Mamata Banerjee accused Union Home Minister Amit Shah of orchestrating a campaign of political intimidation, claiming that the goal was to undermine non-BJP ruled states.
The episode has added a new layer of political tension in West Bengal, where the battle between TMC and BJP is already highly charged. As both sides trade accusations, the ED raids have become a flashpoint in the larger struggle for political control of the state.