In a dramatic display of political defiance, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday personally visited the residence of I-PAC chief Pratik Jain on Loudon Street in Kolkata, shortly after the Enforcement Directorate (ED) conducted searches there. The CM's brief seven-minute stay, after which she emerged holding a green folder, has ignited a major political confrontation with the central government.
A Street Fighter's Instinct: Mamata's Direct Confrontation
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee alleged that the central agency's true target was not financial documents but her party's political blueprint. She claimed the ED was seeking Trinamool Congress candidate lists, poll strategy documents, and papers related to the party's SIR (Social Impact and Research) initiatives. This move, she asserted, was a direct attack on her party's democratic preparations for upcoming elections.
Following the symbolic visit to Jain's home, Banerjee proceeded to the I-PAC office itself, where she remained for several hours. She only departed after Pratik Jain arrived at the location and she could speak with him directly. This action underscored the strategic importance her party places on the Indian Political Action Committee (I-PAC), its election strategy partner.
History Repeats: Mamata's Protocol-Defying Protests
Thursday's event marks the third instance in the past decade where CM Banerjee has taken to the streets to protest actions by central agencies against her party members. In May 2021, she junked protocol when ministers Subrata Mukherjee and Firhad Hakim were arrested in the Narada case. Earlier, in 2019, she visited the residence of then police commissioner Rajeev Kumar when the CBI attempted searches related to the Saradha chit fund case.
Political observers note this is a role the Chief Minister is deeply comfortable with. "The rise of Didi was always credited to her identity as a political street fighter, a role which served her excellently in the past," said Trinamool leader Probir Kumar Mukhopadhyay. He added that the BJP's actions had handed her a political opportunity "on a platter."
Galvanizing the Grassroots: Party Workers Reinvigorated
The CM's direct action had an immediate electrifying effect on Trinamool Congress cadres. Party workers, seeing their leader in a familiar combative avatar, felt a surge of inspiration. Rajya Sabha MP Saket Gokhale swiftly amplified the message on social media, accusing the Modi-Shah duo of using "their lapdog agency ED to steal documents" containing candidate details and campaign plans. He framed the event as the beginning of the countdown to their "fall."
For grassroots workers like Abid Hossain from Rafi Ahmed Kidwai Road or Arijit Banerjee from Salt Lake, the sight was reminiscent of the party's opposition days. "This will help us get even more united. We have always seen her as the firebrand leader. We get the inspiration to hit the streets entirely from her," Hossain stated.
Political analyst Pratip Sinha pointed out that this strategy has paid dividends for Banerjee before and is likely a calculated move as the state edges closer to another election cycle. "The immediate decision that CM Banerjee took to reach Jain's office and residence... paid dividends in the past, and there is no reason why it will not work now," Sinha observed.
Professor Sayoni Chowdhury Patra, a political science expert, explained the deeper significance: "The CM's positioning as a protester rather than solely a state executive gains added significance as the state moves closer to a poll cycle." She described it as a performative shift from institutional authority to political mobilisation, strategically blending governance and protest for narrative building and consolidation.
The event on Loudon Street has thus transcended a mere reaction to an ED search. It has been transformed into a potent symbol of resistance, setting the stage for a fiercely contested political battle in West Bengal.
