NEW DELHI: West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Friday defended interfering during Enforcement Directorate’s I-PAC raids, accusing the agency of attempting to “steal” her party’s details. She further levelled serious allegations against “senior BJP leaders in Delhi”, claiming that they received “coal scam proceeds” and she could “furnish proof before public”.”What I did yesterday was nothing wrong; they tried to steal my party’s data,” she said addressing a rally in Kolkata. “Senior BJP leaders in Delhi receive coal scam proceeds; I can furnish proof before public if needed,” she further claimed.
She further accused the Delhi Police of “assaulting” the protesting TMC MPs and MLAs. “Police assaulted our MPs during protest in Delhi, but BJP gets red carpet welcome in Bengal,” she said.She accused the Bharatiya Janata Party of winning Maharashtra elections by “stealing the mandate” with “EC’s help”, adding that the saffron party was trying to “repeat it in Bengal”.”BJP won Maharashtra polls by stealing mandate with EC’s help; they want to repeat it in Bengal,” she said.Banerjee spearheaded a large protest march in south Kolkata against the ED searches related to political consultancy firm I-PAC, with the Trinamool Congress showcasing its street power ahead of the 2026 Assembly elections. Stepping up her face-off with the Centre, Banerjee took the political fight to the streets, using the ED action as a mobilising issue in the run-up to the crucial polls.ED searches at I-PAC chief Pratik Jain’s residence and the firm’s office on Thursday triggered dramatic scenes, as Banerjee made an unannounced appearance at the raid locations, accusing the central agency of attempting to confiscate the TMC’s sensitive data in the run-up to the high-stakes Assembly elections.The matter was taken to court. The Calcutta HC, however, deferred the hearing after proceedings were disrupted by unmanageable chaos in the courtroom. The Bengal CM filed FIRs against the central agency regarding the raids.
