Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has sharply criticised West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee over her actions during the recent Enforcement Directorate (ED) raids linked to political consultancy firm Indian Political Action Committee (I-PAC) in Kolkata, calling her conduct “deeply concerning” and damaging to public respect.
Speaking to reporters in Guwahati on Friday, Sarma alleged that Banerjee’s behaviour at the raid sites crossed all acceptable limits for a constitutional authority. He said the manner in which the Chief Minister arrived at the locations, intervened during the searches, and allegedly took away official documents raised serious questions. According to Sarma, the use of strong and inappropriate language against the Union Home Minister further reflected poorly on her office.
“The way she behaves at crime scenes, the confiscation of files, and the alleged detention of individuals is unfortunate. Such actions are likely to erode public respect for a serving Chief Minister,” Sarma said, adding that he did not wish to comment further on the matter.
The remarks come in the wake of high drama on Thursday, when ED teams conducted searches at the residence of I-PAC chief Pratik Jain and the firm’s office in connection with an alleged multi-crore coal pilferage scam. Banerjee unexpectedly arrived at the raid locations, accusing the central agency of attempting to seize sensitive data related to the Trinamool Congress ahead of crucial Assembly elections in the state.
The ED, however, maintained that the searches were part of a lawful investigation and accused Banerjee and the state police of obstructing officials and forcibly removing what it described as “key evidence”.
Beyond the raids, Sarma also targeted the Trinamool Congress-led government on the issue of illegal immigration from Bangladesh. He asserted that West Bengal needed a change in governance to effectively tackle the problem, claiming that while development and firm administrative action were visible in Assam and Tripura, the same was lacking in Bengal.
“If the same approach is adopted in West Bengal, the situation can improve,” Sarma said, indicating that the BJP was prepared to intensify its political efforts in the state ahead of the elections.
