India
oi-Swastika Sruti
West
Bengal
Chief
Minister
Mamata
Banerjee
launched
a
sharp
attack
on
the
central
government
after
the
Enforcement
Directorate
(ED)
conducted
raids
at
the
I-PAC
(Indian
Political
Action
Committee)
office
in
Kolkata.
The
chief
minister
accused
the
BJP-led
central
government
of
using
central
agencies
to
target
her
party,
calling
the
move
an
“attack
on
democracy.”
Banerjee
West
Bengal
Chief
Minister
Mamata
Banerjee
criticized
the
central
government
after
the
Enforcement
Directorate
(ED)
raided
the
I-PAC
office
in
Kolkata,
alleging
the
BJP-led
government
used
central
agencies
to
target
her
party
for
stealing
confidential
data
ahead
of
upcoming
elections;
the
ED
stated
the
raids
were
part
of
an
investigation
into
illegal
coal
smuggling
and
money
laundering.
Speaking
to
the
media,
Banerjee
said,
“I
am
sorry,
Mr.
Prime
Minister,
please
control
your
Home
Minister.
If
the
BJP
cannot
fight
us
politically,
why
are
you
using
agencies
to
attack
Bengal?
Win
through
democracy,
not
through
raids.”
#WATCH | Kolkata | West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee says, “…Is it the duty of the ED, Amit Shah to collect the partys hard disk, candidate list?… The nasty, naughty Home Minister who cannot protect the country and is taking away all my party documents. What will be the result… https://t.co/idhFZnWuEj pic.twitter.com/rMjcef7Vhn
— ANI (@ANI) January 8, 2026“>
She
claimed
that
the
ED
officials
entered
the
I-PAC
office
and
took
away
important
documents,
including
data
related
to
the
Trinamool
Congress
(TMC)
party’s
campaign
strategy,
voter
lists,
and
internal
planning
details.
Mamata
alleged
that
this
was
a
deliberate
attempt
to
steal
her
party’s
confidential
data
ahead
of
the
upcoming
elections.
“Killers
of
Democracy,”:
Mamata
Banerjee
#WATCH | Kolkata | West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee says, “They (BJP) are the killers of democracy. In the name of SIR, they have deleted more than 1.5 crore names from the voters list. They have sent notices to Amartya Sen, poet Joy Goswami, and actor Dev. The names of women and… pic.twitter.com/ozuTAnineJ
— ANI (@ANI) January 8, 2026“>
In
her
fiery
speech,
Mamata
Banerjee
described
the
BJP
as
the
“killers
of
democracy” and
accused
the
Union
Home
Minister
of
interfering
in
state
politics.
“The
nasty
and
arrogant
Home
Minister
who
cannot
even
protect
the
country
is
taking
away
my
party’s
documents,”
she
said.
The
chief
minister
questioned
whether
the
ED’s
role
included
collecting
political
information,
hard
disks,
or
party
candidate
lists.
She
also
criticized
the
alleged
deletion
of
voter
names
in
West
Bengal,
claiming
that
over
1.5
crore
voters,
including
women
and
youth,
were
removed
from
the
electoral
roll
under
the
guise
of
an
investigation
called
“SIR.”
#WATCH | Kolkata | On the ED raids at the IPAC office in Kolkata, West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee says, “Agar Amit Shah aapko Bengal jeetna hai aur aap mein himmat hai toh aap election mein ladai karke aaiye…”
She also says, “Why did you raid our partys IT sector and take all… pic.twitter.com/rMYlNjeNFQ
— ANI (@ANI) January 8, 2026“>
Mamata
alleged
that
the
BJP
is
using
technology
and
artificial
intelligence
to
spread
misinformation
online.
“They
are
running
hundreds
of
fake
accounts
and
platforms
funded
by
the
BJP
to
mislead
people.
If
this
continues,
we
will
take
this
fight
to
the
ground,”
she
warned.
VIDEO | Kolkata: After the ED raids I-PAC’s office, West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee (@MamataOfficial) says, “Hundreds of BJP agencies are working here, and many social media platforms funded by the BJP are being operated. AI is being used to spread false information. We have not… pic.twitter.com/cEnUjHhCXk
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) January 8, 2026“>
ED
Responds
to
Allegations
Following
Mamata
Banerjee’s
accusations,
the
ED
issued
a
statement
denying
any
political
motive
behind
the
raids.
The
agency
clarified
that
the
searches
were
part
of
an
investigation
into
illegal
coal
smuggling
and
money
laundering.
Officials
said
the
operation
was
conducted
simultaneously
at
10
locations
–
six
in
West
Bengal
and
four
in
Delhi
–
and
that
no
political
party
office
was
targeted.
#WATCH | Kolkata | On the ED raids at the IPAC office in Kolkata, West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee says, “I am sorry Mr. Prime Minister, please control your Home Minister… If you (BJP) cannot fight with us, then why are you coming to Bengal? Defeat us in a democratic way. You are… pic.twitter.com/SKL7DNxeAc
— ANI (@ANI) January 8, 2026“>
The
ED
also
alleged
that
some
individuals,
including
“constitutional
functionaries,”
entered
the
raid
sites
without
authorization
and
seized
documents
illegally.
As
tensions
rise
between
the
TMC
and
BJP,
the
incident
has
once
again
ignited
a
political
storm
in
Bengal,
with
both
parties
accusing
each
other
of
misuse
of
power.
The
situation
continues
to
draw
national
attention
as
the
state
prepares
for
the
upcoming
elections.
