Politics in West Bengal faced turmoil as Enforcement Directorate (ED) conducted raids at the Trinamool Congress’ consulting firm I-PAC office and director Pratik Jain’s residence in Kolkata. Despite this, the party’s General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee refrained from commenting on the issue during a public meeting in Malda district. The ED officials also searched the I-PAC office in Sector-5 and Pratik Jain’s home on Loudon Street in Kolkata on Thursday morning.
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee visited Pratik Jain’s residence and later the I-PAC office. She accused the central agency of stealing the Trinamool Congress’ election strategies and confiscating laptops, mobile phones, and data with the help of a forensic team. Notably, I-PAC collaborates with state administration officials, Abhishek Banerjee, and his office. Abhishek Banerjee chose to stay silent on the raids, reportedly due to their connection to a coal smuggling case in which he was previously questioned by the central agency multiple times.
During his campaign in Malda, Abhishek Banerjee criticized both the BJP and the Congress. He specifically called out Congress MP Isha Khan Chowdhury from Maldaha Dakshin constituency for allegedly not addressing the issues faced by migrant workers in BJP-ruled states. Abhishek Banerjee also targeted suspended Trinamool Congress leader Humayun Kabir from Murshidabad without mentioning his name. At the rally, he highlighted the challenges migrant workers from West Bengal encounter in BJP and Congress-ruled states, emphasizing the need for action.
