Bengal: Mamata Banerjee To Lead Rally Today To Protest ED Raids

India

oi-Prakash KL

West
Bengal
CM
Mamata
Banerjee
will
lead
a
protest
rally
on
Friday
after
the
state
witnessed
a
fresh
political
confrontation
on
Thursday
following
the
Enforcement
Directorate
(ED)’s
raids
at
the
office
of
the
Indian
Political
Action
Committee
(I-PAC)
and
the
residence
of
its
director,
Pratik
Jain,
in
Kolkata.

The
raid
triggered
sharp
reactions
from
Chief
Minister
Mamata
Banerjee,
who
accused
the
Centre
of
using
investigative
agencies
to
target
her
party
ahead
of
the
upcoming
Assembly
elections.

The
ED’s
searches
were
part
of
a
money-laundering
probe
linked
to
an
alleged
multi-crore
coal
pilferage
scam.
Around
10
premises
were
raided,
including
I-PAC’s
Salt
Lake
office
and
Jain’s
Loudon
Street
residence
in
Kolkata,
as
well
as
four
locations
in
Delhi.
Paramilitary
forces
accompanied
the
agency
during
the
operation,
underscoring
the
seriousness
of
the
probe.

Reacting
strongly,
Mamata
Banerjee
announced
that
she
would
lead
a
protest
rally
on
Friday,
January
9,
from
Jadavpur
8B
bus
stand
to
Hazra
Crossing
in
south
Kolkata.
The
rally,
spanning
over
five
kilometres,
is
intended
as
a
show
of
resistance
against
what
she
described
as
politically
motivated
actions
by
the
Centre.
“If
they
attack
us,
make
false
cases,
or
try
to
steal
our
documents,
should
I
not
resist?” she
asked
while
inaugurating
a
transit
camp
for
the
Gangasagar
Mela
at
Babughat.

Banerjee
alleged
that
the
ED
had
“stolen
everything”
during
the
raids,
including
sensitive
data
and
the
SIR
list,
and
claimed
such
actions
always
precede
elections.
She
accused
Union
Home
Minister
Amit
Shah
and
the
BJP
of
orchestrating
the
raids
to
destabilize
the
Trinamool
Congress
(TMC)
government.
With
Assembly
polls
only
months
away,
the
BJP
is
aggressively
seeking
to
challenge
the
TMC’s
dominance
in
Bengal,
making
the
timing
of
the
raids
politically
significant.

The
chief
minister
also
used
the
occasion
to
highlight
what
she
sees
as
the
Centre’s
neglect
of
Bengal’s
cultural
and
religious
events.
She
pointed
out
that
while
the
Centre
allocates
substantial
funds
for
the
Kumbh
Mela,
it
has
not
provided
a
single
rupee
for
the
Gangasagar
Mela
despite
repeated
requests
over
the
past
decade.
Banerjee
announced
that
her
government
is
constructing
a
Rs
1,670
crore
four-lane
bridge
over
the
Muriganga
River
to
connect
Sagar
Island
with
the
mainland,
expected
to
be
completed
in
two
to
three
years.

In
her
fiery
speech,
Mamata
reiterated
that
her
fight
is
for
“insaniyat
aur
insaaf”
(humanity
and
justice)
and
warned
against
attempts
to
divide
people
along
religious
lines.
She
accused
the
Centre
of
attacking
not
just
her
party
but
also
her
government’s
developmental
initiatives.

Meanwhile,
conflicting
narratives
emerged
from
the
ED
and
the
TMC.
The
agency
claimed
that
Banerjee
stormed
into
one
of
the
raided
residences
and
interfered
with
evidence
collection.
In
contrast,
the
TMC
alleged
that
the
ED
seized
crucial
party
documents,
including
hard
disks
and
financial
papers.

As
Bengal
braces
for
elections,
this
confrontation
adds
yet
another
layer
to
the
already
charged
political
atmosphere.
The
ED’s
actions
and
Mamata’s
defiant
response
are
likely
to
intensify
the
battle
between
the
BJP
and
TMC,
setting
the
stage
for
a
high-voltage
electoral
contest
in
the
months
ahead.