Paschim Medinipur (West Bengal) [India], January 13 : Bharatiya Janata Party leader Dilip Ghosh on Tuesday slammed West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee, accusing her of committing a crime by intervening in an Enforcement Directorate raid in the state, few days back.
Ghosh said the officials who had accompanied Mamata in the incident were equally responsible and asked whether, if she went there as a party leader, why she was accompanied by officers.
"What Mamata Banerjee has done during the ED raids is very shameful... Not only has Mamata Banerjee committed a crime, but the police and administrative officers who accompanied her are also equally responsible. If she claims she went there as a party leader and not the CM, then why did all the officers accompany her? Everyone should be chargesheeted," Dilip Ghosh told ANI.
Earlier on January 8, the ED had raided the offices of Political consultants IPAC in Kolkata and drama was created after Mamata Banerjee arrived at the venue and accused the agency of taking away her party documents on directives of Centre.
The ED has approached the Supreme Court, alleging interference and obstruction by the Mamata Banerjee-led West Bengal government during its search operations, and has sought directions for a CBI probe into the matter.
Anticipating the ED's move, the West Bengal government has filed a caveat in the Supreme Court, requesting that no order be passed without hearing the state. Separately, it has moved the Calcutta High Court, alleging that the ED seized all data and digital records from I-PAC's office. The state government has sought directions to the ED to return all seized materials, including private, sensitive and confidential data, claiming the information belongs to the TMC and relates to its internal party operations.
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has questioned the legality of the raids, alleging a conspiracy to "steal" the TMC's election-related data. A day after the searches, she led a street protest in Kolkata, while several TMC MPs demonstrated outside the Union Home Ministry in Delhi.