What happened in Kolkata on Thursday was unprecedented. A Chief Minister herself interfered in the raids that were being conducted by the Enforcement Directorate, took away important documents, files, phone and hard disk from the ED raiding team.
The ED teams were raiding 10 places including the residence and office of I-PAC director Pratik Jain in a coal mine scam and hawala transactions case that was being investigated since 2006.
On Thursday, as news spread about ED teams conducting searches at multiple Kolkata addresses linked to political consultancy firm I-PAC, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee rushed to those spots, took away important files and storage devices and alleged that the Centre was trying to steal data relating to Trinamool Congress candidates and election strategy.
A large contingent of policemen went to those spots along with the Chief Minister. Mamata first went to Pratik Jain’s residence on Loudon Street with Kolkata police commissioner and other senior officials in tow, and took away several files, iPhone and hard disk.
She also went to the I-PAC office in Salt Lake area and took away files and hard disk, alleging that these contained data relating to her party’s poll strategy.
In a vicious tirade against Home Minister Amit Shah, Mamata Banerjee said: “Amit Shah has sent ED. Is this ED’s work? The satanic and rogue home minister who cannot protect the country is trying to take away our party documents to win the election. What will happen if I raid the BJP office?”
Both ED and I-PAC filed petitions in Calcutta High Court blaming each other. ED, in a statement, clarified that its raids were related to coal scam and hawala transactions and these had nothing to do with politics.
Pratik Jain, the co-founder of I-PAC also looks after the IT cell work of Trinamool Congress. His firm has been handling the election strategy of Mamata’s party.
BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari said, this was nothing but a drama by Mamata Banerjee. He said, she had enacted similar dramas in the past to protect her pet police officers and corrupt party leaders.
Mamata Banerjee says, ED team had come to take away files related to her party from I-PAC office. BJP alleges that Mamata brought her police to protect I-PAC from money laundering charges.
Mamata Banerjee says, these files and hard disks contained data related to her party’s poll strategy.
The question that now arises is: Why were her party’s election strategy files and hard disks kept in I-PAC office? I-PAC is not a political party office.
Is it not violation of law to obstruct ED from carrying out searches? Even if one admits for a minute that BJP is misusing ED for its political benefit, is it not a fact that Mamata Banerjee has misused Bengal police to help her party?
If Mamata Banerjee takes this ED issue to the people, not only BJP, but Congress and CPI-M will level charges of black money laundering through I-PAC during their election campaign.
For Mamata, it’s a choice between the devil and the deep sea.
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