Mamata protests ED raid, alleges BJP trying to take power in Bengal

West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee launched a protest against ED raids on I-PAC's office in the coal smuggling case. She accused the BJP of trying to seize power in Bengal and misusing central agencies like they did in Maharashtra and Haryana.

A day after the Enforcement Directorate (ED) conducted raids at the office of I-PAC in connection with the alleged coal smuggling case, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee took to the streets to protest against the ED action. CM Mamata Banerjee alleged that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was trying to come to power in West Bengal as they did in Maharashtra and Haryana.

'Won't Spare Those Who Hurt Me'

Addressing the gathering, CM Mamata Banerjee said, "I never react, but if anyone hurts me, I never spare them. In the name of SIR, they target local people. They harassed old people and pregnant women. Those who abuse the TMC, they do not know that TMC workers are extremely dedicated. In the name of SIR, local people are being harassed. Their documents are being taken and they are not being given receipts. When the enumeration took place, Booth Level Agent-1 went door to door with BLOs. They will stay in polling stations and booths."

She further said that she had never seen any party like the BJP before. "If you speak in Bengali, they declare you Bangladeshi. They say that there are Rohingyas present in Bengal, but where are the Rohingyas? If there are Rohingyas, why has SIR not been started in Assam? Rohingyas enter from Myanmar. First they have to cross Manipur, Nagaland and Assam. This is all being done because they are trying to come to power in Bengal as they did in Maharashtra and Haryana. They carry out vote theft through the ECI; EC cannot harm me," she added.

Accuses ECI of Bias, Withholding of Funds

"For the last four years, Banglar Awaas Yojana has been closed. Mid-day meal money and Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan money are also stopped. You know who is sitting in the Election Commission. The Election Commissioner was the Home Minister's Cooperation Department Secretary. If Gyanesh Kumar is vanishing votes, why will I stay quiet? If the voter's rights are snatched, I will snatch your rights. TMC MPs have been dragged mercilessly when they were protesting in Delhi. All the agencies have been grabbed," she said.

She further alleged that Bengali-speaking citizens are being attacked in BJP-ruled states. "In Odisha, Madhya Pradesh, UP, Delhi, Rajasthan, Bengalis are being attacked. Here Hindi-speaking citizens have never been attacked," she added.

Protest Follows MP Detentions, ED Accusations

Mamata Banerjee launched a protest in Kolkata against the ED on Friday. Banerjee criticised the detention of Trinamool Congress MPs in Delhi, accusing the BJP-led central government of suppressing democratic protest and misusing law enforcement agencies. She said dignity and respect in a democracy are non-negotiable, asserting that citizens and elected representatives cannot be treated arbitrarily by those in power.

Earlier in the day, several Trinamool Congress (TMC) MPs were detained in the national capital on Friday for protesting outside Union Home Minister Amit Shah's office against the Enforcement Directorate (ED) raid on the I-PAC office.

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) accused Banerjee of entering the residential premises of Prateek Jain, the director of top political consultancy group I-PAC, during its ongoing search operation in Kolkata and taking away "key evidence", including physical documents and electronic devices. In a statement, the ED said that its team was conducting the search proceedings in a peaceful and professional manner until the arrival of the West Bengal Chief Minister, along with a large number of police officials. (ANI)

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