The West Bengal unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Thursday sharply criticised Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for her actions during the Enforcement Directorate’s (ED) raids on the office of political consulting firm I-PAC and the residence of its head, Prateek Jain, describing the episode as the “final nail in the coffin” of her political image.
Terming the Chief Minister’s intervention an “abuse of power”, BJP state president Samik Bhattacharya alleged that Mamata misused her constitutional authority to interfere with an ongoing investigation.
“The Chief Minister has used the influence of her constitutional position to seize necessary documents, which is completely unacceptable. After this incident, Mamata Banerjee has no moral right to remain in the Chief Minister’s post. Today, she has hammered the final nail into the coffin of her own image,” Bhattacharya said.
The controversy erupted after the ED conducted raids linked to coal smuggling and money laundering on Thursday at the I-PAC office in Salt Lake and at Prateek Jain’s residence as part of its investigation. According to BJP leaders, Mamata arrived at Jain’s residence soon after learning about the searches. Sources claimed that she left the premises with important files and hard drives, raising questions over her presence during the raid.
The Chief Minister later went to the I-PAC office in Salt Lake, where she reportedly remained for over five hours. During this period, a white Scorpio vehicle was seen being loaded with documents, which the BJP alleged were taken away by Mamata. Bhattacharya questioned whether any chief minister in the country had ever acted in such a manner, claiming that the incident exposed the TMC’s alleged involvement in corruption and its attempt to obstruct the investigation and shield those under scrutiny.
Responding to queries on why ED officials did not seize the documents from the Chief Minister, Bhattacharya said that forcibly taking documents from a sitting chief minister, and that too a woman, would not be appropriate in a democracy. However, he insisted that Mamata’s conduct was “completely improper”.
He added that the BJP was not a spokesperson for the ED, but maintained that the raids were conducted after evidence was gathered in accordance with the law, and that the subsequent investigation was obstructed.
Bhattacharya said such behaviour was not expected from a state’s Chief Minister. He alleged that Mamata had committed contempt of court, interfered in government work, attacked officials, snatched documents, shielded criminals, attempted to destroy evidence and tried to remove the investigating team. He further stated that most investigations in West Bengal were being conducted under court orders and that interference in such cases was unprecedented.
Condemning Mamata’s attack on the Union Home Minister, the BJP leader said the entire country had witnessed the developments. He recalled earlier instances when the Chief Minister had confronted central agencies, including her sit-in protest during a CBI raid at the residence of former Kolkata Police Commissioner Rajeev Kumar and her stand during the arrest of senior TMC minister Firhad Hakim.
“Those may have been symbolic protests, but this time she entered an office and turned it into a party office. What does this mean for the TMC?” he asked.
Stating that no civilised society could accept such unwarranted interference in a criminal investigation and judicial process, Bhattacharya said the Chief Minister’s actions had tarnished the image of West Bengal and asserted that the people of the state would ultimately judge her conduct.
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