TMC MPs detained outside Amit Shah’s office as ED raids on I-PAC spark showdown
The standoff escalated after party MPs protested ED searches at I-PAC offices, a day after Mamata Banerjee’s surprise intervention during the raids in Kolkata
The confrontation between the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and the Trinamool Congress (TMC) intensified on Friday (January 9), with several TMC MPs being detained after the political row spilled over to the office of Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
The escalation followed a day after West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee paid a surprise visit to the residence of the I-PAC chief and the consultancy firm’s office during ED searches in Kolkata.
On Friday morning, eight Trinamool Congress MPs staged a sit-in protest outside Amit Shah’s office in the national capital, objecting to the ED raids conducted at the Indian Political Action Committee (I-PAC) office a day earlier.
Carrying placards and shouting slogans, the protesting MPs alleged that the Centre was misusing central investigative agencies to harass opposition parties ahead of elections.
The protest was led by Mahua Moitra, Derek O’Brien, Satabdi Roy, Bapi Haldar, Saket Gokhale, Pratima Mondal, Kirti Azad and Dr Sharmila Sarkar. Visuals from the protest showed MPs holding placards reading, “Bengal rejects Modi-Shah’s dirty politics,” underscoring the party’s charge of political vendetta against the ruling TMC in West Bengal.
Also read | Mamata to lead Kolkata protest rally today against ED raids on I-PAC
The I-PAC is a political consultancy firm that advises the TMC and also manages the party’s IT and media operations.
Raids spark political showdown
The ED action in West Bengal on Thursday triggered high drama, with Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee unexpectedly storming into the sites during raids, alleging that the central agency was trying to seize the TMC's sensitive data ahead of the high-stakes state polls.
The confrontation, which unfolded at a politically combustible moment, added sharp electoral overtones ahead of the elections to the 294-member West Bengal Assembly, to be held in less than three months, as both the Trinamool Congress and the BJP were locked in an aggressive battle for narrative control.
The standoff also soon took a legal turn, with the ED moving the Calcutta High Court, seeking permission to file a petition, alleging interference in its investigation. The I-PAC also approached the HC, opposing the searches and questioning its legality.
According to the ED, the I-PAC's office in Salt Lake Sector V and Jain's residence on Loudon Street were among about 10 premises, including four in Delhi, that were raided by the federal probe agency in the presence of central paramilitary teams from 7 am, Thursday. However, Banerjee's unscheduled appearance at the raid site injected street-level drama, drawing senior police officers, party leaders, and central forces into a tense stand-off that unfolded in full public view.