West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress (TMC) supremo Mamata Banerjee is gearing up to lead a significant protest march on the streets of Kolkata this Friday. This move comes as a direct response to the Enforcement Directorate (ED) conducting searches at the Salt Lake office of political consultancy firm I-PAC and the residence of its director, Pratik Jain, on Loudon Street.
CM's Fierce Retort and Allegations of Data Theft
Addressing the media from a Gangasagar Mela transit camp, Mamata Banerjee launched a scathing attack on the central agency and the ruling BJP. She framed the ED's action as a politically motivated attack ahead of elections. "They lodged a false case against me. If they try to steal from my home, will I not try to prevent it?" she questioned.
Banerjee alleged that the raid resulted in the theft of crucial party data. "They stole everything — all data, including the SIR list — a clear case of theft," she claimed. The Chief Minister asserted that the agency took away TMC's internal candidate lists and party strategy, calling it "a clear case of attack and loot ahead of polls."
She warned that such tactics would backfire, stating, "The more you try to disturb me, the more I will retaliate." Drawing an analogy from the teachings of Sri Ramakrishna, she said she was merely hissing like a snake told not to bite, calling it a "reaction to their action."
Statewide Protests and March Details
Following the ED searches, TMC leaders and workers took out protest marches across the state starting at 4 pm on Thursday. The major rally led by the CM herself is scheduled for Friday at 2 pm. The protest march will commence from the Jadavpur 8B bus stand and proceed to Hazra Crossing.
TMC sources indicate that almost all senior party leaders will participate, except those engaged in critical SIR (Special Investigation Report) related work. Earlier, outside the raided I-PAC office in Salt Lake, Banerjee escalated her rhetoric, labeling the BJP as "the killer of democracy."
"How can they search the I-PAC office? Would it be acceptable if we searched their IT office?" she challenged, urging her party workers to begin widespread demonstrations.
Broader Accusations of Voter List Manipulation
The Chief Minister expanded her allegations beyond the immediate raid, accusing the BJP of systematically misusing central agencies to target political opponents. "ED does not send notices to BJP. Whenever there is an election, the I-T department sends us notices. BJP is the biggest party of thieves," she alleged.
She claimed that under the guise of SIR, notices were sent to eminent personalities like Nobel laureate Amartya Sen and poet Joy Goswami. Banerjee also made serious allegations about voter list manipulation, stating, "You will be surprised to know that names of a large number of women voters were deleted. They are also not allowing many young people's names to be enrolled."
Political Repercussions and Warnings
Banerjee dismissed the BJP's prospects in Bengal despite these actions, predicting they would be "reduced to 0." She directly addressed the Prime Minister, saying, "Mr Prime Minister, you should control your home minister. What they did is a crime and we will file an FIR against them."
On the question of candidate finalization disrupted by the raid, she confirmed, "Certain suggestions keep coming in and we maintain a list. They took it away." However, she remained defiant, asserting that her party's probable candidates could not be scared by such threats.
The CM issued a stark warning about the potential for wider instability, accusing the BJP of divisive politics. "They want to forcefully bulldoze Bengal. But people of Bengal will not bow down," she declared.
Party Leaders Echo Allegations of Espionage
TMC MP Mohua Moitra took to social media platform X to condemn the ED's action, terming it "political burglary and espionage." She defended Banerjee's response, writing, "Tigress Mamata Banerjee, as head of our party, went in and retrieved what was ours. The law permits a person being robbed to do everything possible in self-defence to ward off theft."
The Trinamool Congress also shared evidence on social media to bolster its claim of a coordinated attack. The party posted two photographs—one of a BJP statement issued at 2.43 pm and another of an ED statement released at 3.20 pm—alleging that the ruling party at the Centre was scripting the agency's actions.
"BJP sent ED to search in Kolkata after historic turnouts at Abhishek Banerjee's rallies over the last few days," the party stated, directly linking the enforcement action to the growing momentum of TMC's campaign.
