The Enforcement Directorate on Thursday carried out searches at multiple locations in Kolkata, including the office of political consultancy firm IPAC and the residence of its senior functionary Pratik
Jain, as part of an ongoing probe. ED teams conducted raids at at least five locations across the city, though officials have not disclosed details of the case so far.
Reacting sharply to the searches, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee alleged political vendetta and accused the Centre of targeting her party ahead of elections. “…Is it the duty of the ED, Amit Shah, to collect the party’s hard disk, candidate list?… The nasty, naughty Home Minister who cannot protect the country and is taking away all my party documents. What will be the result if I raid the BJP party office? On one side, they are deleting the names of all the voters by carrying out the SIR in West Bengal…Because of the elections, they are collecting all the information about my party…,” Banerjee said.
While addressing the media, Banerjee was seen holding a green file, which later became a talking point for the BJP, with party leaders claiming she was hiding something.
“They have committed a crime… IPAC is our organisation. We are a registered political party… can they do this? If Amit Shah wants to win Bengal, then he should fight us. Why are you raiding the party office?” Mamata Banerjee said.
What has unfolded is deliberate and politically motivated. This is yet another attempt by the BJP to capture Bengal through unethical means.
Unable to fight democratically, the BJP is now using the ED as a weapon, trying to forcibly seize party documents, internal strategies,… pic.twitter.com/3oYIY5GiAl
— All India Trinamool Congress (@AITCofficial) January 8, 2026
The BJP hit back strongly, with national spokesperson Pradeep Bhandari alleging that the chief minister interfered in an ongoing investigation. Claiming that Banerjee visited Pratik Jain’s residence during the ED raids, Bhandari said she was seen leaving with a file and a mobile phone, asking, “What is she hiding? What is she trying to protect? Who is she trying to shield?” He further alleged that the ED action had exposed an “illegal money trail” linked to the Trinamool Congress, accusing the party of using IPAC as a front to camouflage funds.
The Trinamool Congress rejected the allegations, calling the ED action “deliberate and politically motivated”. In a statement posted on X, the party accused the BJP of attempting to “capture Bengal through unethical means,” alleging that it was using the ED as a tool to forcibly seize party documents, internal strategies, candidate-related details, and other crucial papers.
The TMC further claimed that the raids were part of a larger conspiracy being carried out through the central agency under the direction of the Union Home Minister.
