West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday launched a blistering attack on the Centre, accusing Union Home Minister Amit Shah of failing to protect the country and instead using central agencies to target her party. Responding to Enforcement Directorate (ED) raids linked to political consultancy firm I-PAC in Kolkata, Banerjee alleged that the agency entered TMC-linked premises to steal party documents. She described Shah as the “most nasty and naughty” Home Minister India has ever had.
VIDEO | Kolkata: West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee (@MamataOfficial) visits I-PAC Director Prateek Jain’s residence after an ED raid and says, “Is it the duty of Home Minister Amit Shah and the ED to take away all my party documents? If I go to the BJP party office, what will be the… pic.twitter.com/lRQOpKtVN4
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) January 8, 2026
ED Denies Political Targeting
The Enforcement Directorate rejected Banerjee’s claims, asserting that the searches were part of a long-running investigation into alleged money laundering linked to illegal coal smuggling. According to the agency, raids were conducted at six locations in West Bengal and four in Delhi, all connected to suspected cash generation, hawala transfers and illicit money routes.
The ED said I-PAC had surfaced during the probe in connection with suspected hawala-linked transactions. It also stressed that the operation had no electoral connection and was routine enforcement action carried out strictly on the basis of evidence.
The agency maintained that the searches were being conducted “peacefully and professionally” until Banerjee arrived at one of the locations with a large police contingent.
Agency Alleges Interference
Escalating the standoff, the ED alleged that individuals holding constitutional positions forcibly entered two search locations and seized official documents from its officers, amounting to a misuse of authority. The agency said the matter remains under investigation.
The controversy erupted after ED teams raided the residence of Pratik Jain, a senior I-PAC official, in central Kolkata, and the firm’s office at the Godrej Waterside building in Salt Lake Sector-5. Following the raids, Banerjee accused the agency of attempting to collect TMC’s internal documents, including candidate lists, organisational plans and election strategy.
The ED has categorically denied entering any political party office, reiterating that all searches were legally sanctioned and case-specific.
