New Delhi, January 8 (IANS). Bharatiya Janata Party’s national spokesperson and Lok Sabha MP Dr. Sambit Patra has launched a scathing attack on West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, accusing her of interfering in the Enforcement Directorate raid related to corruption and hawala case.
Speaking to the media, Sambit Patra alleged that Mamata Banerjee herself entered the premises of a political consultancy firm I-Pac during the raid and removed important documents, laptop and pen drive, thereby tampering with the evidence.
According to Patra, this is the first time in the history of India that a sitting Chief Minister has allegedly obstructed an ongoing ED operation.
He described the incident as ‘extremely embarrassing and disturbing’, and claimed that Banerjee’s actions showed that she was trying to hide a lot.
At ten locations across the country, including six in Bengal and four in Delhi. These raids were part of the investigation into the coal smuggling scam registered in 2020, which involved large-scale hawala transactions.
Citing evidence of money laundering, the ED had targeted premises linked to Anup Majhi and I-Pak co-founder Prateek Jain under the PMLA Act.
Patra said that the raid at the I-PAC office was going on peacefully after the ED officials showed their identity cards to senior police officers. However, the process was reportedly disrupted by Banerjee’s sudden arrival with the Bengal Police.
Patra said, “Maybe such a scene would not have been seen even in Hindi films.”
He also accused Banerjee of using the state police machinery to shield corruption and intimidate central agencies. Throwing light on previous allegations, Patra reminded that in 2025, Trinamool Congress leader Madan Mitra himself had described I-PAC allies as corrupt.
In this background, he argued that Banerjee’s intervention during the raid raises serious questions about her intentions. He accused them of making Bengal a “separate zone” where national laws are ignored, and cited the ED raid, BSF land allotment and protests against measures against infiltrators.
Patra asserted that the people of Bengal would not tolerate “mafia-style rule” and would respond to Banerjee’s “anarchical rule” through democratic means. He said, “The public does not accept corruption,” and predicted that citizens would stand firmly against them in the coming days.
–IANS
AMT/DKP