The Indian National Congress (INC) leaders are split in their responses to the Enforcement Directorate (ED)’s recent raids at the India Political Action Committee (I-PAC) office and co-founder Pratik Jain’s residence in Kolkata. Varied reactions have emerged from national and state-level leaders within the party. Senior Congress leader Abhishek Manu Singhvi criticized the ED’s actions, accusing them of targeting political consultants instead of pursuing truth and credibility.
Singhvi condemned the raids as part of the BJP’s alleged strategy of coercion when faced with inconvenient democracy. In contrast, former West Bengal Congress president Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury questioned Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s concerns over the ED’s actions against I-PAC. Chowdhury hinted at a hidden agenda behind Banerjee’s reactions to the ED’s moves.
Meanwhile, Leader of the Opposition in the West Bengal Assembly, Suvendu Adhikari, also raised doubts about the Chief Minister’s involvement in the matter. Banerjee had reportedly visited Jain’s residence and the I-PAC office during the ED raids, leading to questions about her interest in a private corporate entity’s affairs. The I-PAC has been associated with the Trinamool Congress as a vote-strategy agency since 2020.
