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

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.