In a significant move, Chief Minister Mamta Banerjee has submitted her response to the Supreme Court regarding the Enforcement Directorate's raids on I-PAC, an ally of her Trinamool party, in Kolkata. Meanwhile, the ED is expected to present its stance within a week, with the next hearing scheduled for February 10.
Representing the West Bengal Chief Minister, Advocate Nishant Kumar has criticized the ED's raids, stating that suspicious flags were raised before the elections. He accused the raids of being a cover to unlawfully steal confidential political and strategic data belonging to the party.
Mamta Banerjee has challenged the ED's search operation at the I-PAC office in Kolkata, submitting a detailed 34-page response to the Supreme Court.
'Abuse of Powers...'
Banerjee questioned the timing of the ED's actions, labeling them suspicious as they occurred right before state elections. She alleged that the raids took place when I-PAC had sensitive political materials, including a draft list of Trinamool Congress candidates for the upcoming assembly elections.
The Chief Minister accused the ED of selective and targeted operations, claiming the agency is being used to harass opposition affiliates. She highlighted the ED's heightened activities during the election preparation phase, wherein dormant investigations are suddenly revived as polls draw near, suggesting an abuse of statutory powers.
Banerjee stated that the ED failed to establish any connection between I-PAC, its director Prateek Jain, and the alleged coal scam. She accused the ED of attempting to infringe on her party's and other leaders' privacy under the guise of investigation and denounced the ongoing 'drama' over high-profile Calcutta High Court proceedings, refuting any involvement of the Trinamool Congress.
