Daijiworld Media Network - Lucknow
Lucknow, Jan 8: Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav on Thursday claimed that the Bharatiya Janata Party is heading for a defeat in the upcoming West Bengal Assembly elections, asserting that the Enforcement Directorate’s raids on the Indian Political Action Committee (I-PAC) reflect growing desperation within the ruling party.
Reacting to reports of the ED action in Kolkata, Yadav took to social media platform X to criticise the BJP. “The BJP is badly losing Bengal. First proof!” he wrote, suggesting that central agencies were being deployed even before the formal election process had begun.
Earlier in the day, the ED carried out searches at I-PAC’s office in Salt Lake Sector V, Kolkata. I-PAC has been working as a political consultancy for the Trinamool Congress since 2019. A special team from Delhi was sent to conduct the operation.
The agency also searched the Loudon Street residence of I-PAC co-founder and director Pratik Jain, a key strategist associated with the organisation’s election planning. The searches reportedly continued for several hours.
Following the raids, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee visited Jain’s residence in central Kolkata and later went to the I-PAC office, where she met staff members. Kolkata Police Commissioner Manoj Verma was also present at the residence during the operation.
According to the ED, the searches are connected to an old case registered in Delhi related to alleged coal smuggling, in which I-PAC’s name has reportedly surfaced in connection with certain financial transactions. The agency has rejected claims that the action is linked to the forthcoming Assembly elections.
The raids reportedly took place early in the morning, catching the I-PAC team by surprise, as the organisation is currently engaged in election preparations. At the time of the searches, only a small number of staff members were present at the Salt Lake office.
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has strongly condemned the ED action, accusing the Centre of political vendetta and alleging that the raids were carried out at the behest of Union Home Minister Amit Shah. The Trinamool Congress has repeatedly accused central investigative agencies of being misused to target opposition parties and their associates ahead of elections.
The ED, however, has maintained that the searches are part of a routine investigation and has denied allegations of political interference or motivation.