What’s in the documents that Mamata Banerjee came with police to save accused: Smriti Irani on I-PAC raid 

Kolkata, Jan 10 (IANS) BJP leader Smriti Irani launched a sharp attack on West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Saturday, questioning the circumstances under which she allegedly arrived with police personnel during an Enforcement Directorate (ED) raid to save the accused.

The ED has alleged that its proceedings were disrupted after Banerjee reached the residence of Pratik Jain, co-founder of the I-PAC, accompanied by a large number of police personnel.

Speaking to reporters, Smriti Irani said, “In the history of India, no citizen has ever witnessed such a scene, where a Chief Minister of a state, during a Hawala scam-related raid, personally arrives with police personnel to protect the accused. The speed and intensity with which Mamata Banerjee reached the spot, along with the police, raises serious questions about her intent to shield those involved in the raid.”

She further questioned whether such urgency had ever been shown by the Chief Minister to help ordinary citizens of West Bengal.

“Have the people of West Bengal ever seen this kind of prompt action when common citizens are in distress? Does she reach with such intensity to save people or help them instantly? Never. This raises an important question—what is in those files? Since Hawala involves a private company, what is it that makes her believe those documents belong to her?” Irani added.

Continuing her attack, the BJP leader alleged that the Trinamool Congress has repeatedly attempted to politicise investigating agencies.

“Time and again, people have seen the Trinamool Congress turning investigative processes into political tools. These individuals were accused, but Mamata Banerjee herself has now reinforced this perception by her presence at the site of an ED raid on a private company. What are those papers that frightened Mamata Banerjee so much that she felt compelled to intervene personally?” she said.

Irani also criticised what she described as a lack of understanding of constitutional procedures on the part of the Chief Minister.

“That individual seems unaware that the Enforcement Directorate does not function under the Home Ministry. She has repeatedly demonstrated a lack of knowledge about how constitutional offices operate. Baseless allegations are being made against Union Home Minister Amit Shah, perhaps without realising that the ED is an independent investigating agency. Even constitutionally, as per the Rules of Business, the ED does not report to the Home Minister,” Irani added.

Meanwhile, Shiv Sena leader Shaina NC also condemned Banerjee’s actions, calling them unprecedented.

“This is the first time a Chief Minister has intervened during a raid conducted by the Enforcement Directorate. Such raids have taken place in Kolkata and Delhi earlier as well, but no one intervened except Mamata Banerjee. This clearly indicates that she fears losing (elections) and is attempting to hide something,” she said.

Shaina NC further stated that Banerjee should allow investigative agencies to function independently.

“Whatever she is trying to conceal, she must remember that it is ultimately the voters who will decide victory or defeat. She should let the Enforcement Directorate do its work without interference,” she added.

The confrontation between the Centre and the West Bengal government over the ED’s raids on I-PAC and its co-founder Pratik Jain escalated on Friday, with Mamata Banerjee leading a protest rally on the streets of Kolkata. The BJP, in turn, accused her of being deeply involved in corruption.

During the proceedings, Justice Suvra Ghosh of the Calcutta High Court, who was hearing multiple petitions related to the issue, left the courtroom citing excessive crowding. As the high court will not function over the weekend, the matter is scheduled to be taken up again on Wednesday.

I-PAC, a political consultancy firm, has been assisting the Trinamool Congress with strategy for the upcoming West Bengal Assembly elections. The ED has alleged that Banerjee walked out with a laptop, mobile phone, and documents from Jain’s residence during the raids conducted on Thursday in connection with a coal smuggling case.

In its petition before the court, the ED claimed that Banerjee misused her constitutional position by obstructing officials who were performing their official duties during the raids at the I-PAC office and Jain’s residence. The agency also sought a CBI probe into the matter, including an investigation into the role of the Chief Minister.

In response, Pratik Jain and the Trinamool Congress filed counter-petitions. The party alleged that the ED raids were aimed at seizing documents related to the Trinamool Congress’s election strategy ahead of the West Bengal Assembly polls, with the intention of handing them over to the BJP.