BJP's Suvendu Adhikari seeks jail for CM over IPAC-ED row, vows to defeat Mamata Banerjee from her seat

Kolkata: BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari on Sunday demanded imprisonment of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, DGP Rajeev Kumar and senior police officer Manoj Verma, accusing them of obstructing an ED raid at premises linked to political consultancy firm I-PAC, and violating constitutional provisions.

The leader of the opposition also vowed to defeat Mamata Banerjee from her Bhawanipur constituency in the assembly elections, due in a few months.

Addressing a rally in south Kolkata to counter Banerjee’s protest march on Friday, Adhikari alleged that the CM personally interfered during an ED raid by “snatching files and a laptop” from central agency officials, which is obstructing to government work and an offence.

The law gives the Enforcement Directorate (ED) constitutional authority to conduct searches, interrogations and arrests, he said, adding: “Yet the chief minister herself reached the spot and obstructed the search.”

On January 8, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee unexpectedly visited the office of the I-PAC and the residence of its director Pratik Jain, during an ED raid as part of its probe into the alleged coal scam-linked money laundering case. She was accompanied by top police officers.

Banerjee had also been seen coming out of the Jain residence with several documents. The I-PAC provides political consultancy to the TMC.

“We want to see Mamata Banerjee, DGP Rajeev Kumar and (Kolkata) Police Commissioner Manoj Verma in jail for obstructing official work and search operations,” he added.

Adhikari claimed that the ED has already moved the Calcutta High Court, naming the Chief Minister as the primary accused, and is seeking transfer of the case to the CBI.

“The ED has approached the apex court and wants the investigation to be taken out of the state,” he said, terming it a correct decision by the probe agency.

Leading the protest march from Jadavpur 8B bus stand to Deshapriya Park, Adhikari accused the chief minister of “destroying the dignity of her office” and interfering with the judicial process.

The BJP leader asserted that he will defeat Banerjee from her seat Bhawanipur in south Kolkata. “It is my responsibility to defeat her politically,” Adhikari said.

Adhikari, who is the TMC supremo’s protege-turned-adversary, defeated Banerjee in the 2021 assembly elections from Nandigram by 1956 votes. Later, in a by-poll, she won by a margin of over 56,000 votes in the Bhawanipur seat.

The BJP rally was organised to counter a recent Trinamool Congress march in south Kolkata, to protest the CM’s alleged role in the ED raid at the premises of the I-PAC case, as well as the recent attack on his convoy at Chandrakona.

During the nearly two-hour-long march, Adhikari alleged that the Trinamool legal cell attempted to disrupt Calcutta High Court proceedings on Friday through coordinated messages. Calling it a “dangerous trend”, he said, “When the judiciary is not allowed to function freely in Bengal, moving cases to the Supreme Court is the right step.” Labelling the chief minister the “queen of thieves”, Adhikari alleged that the state government has effectively been run by I-PAC since 2021.

“Trinamool is no longer running the government. I-PAC is running Bengal,” he claimed, alleging that Rs 20 crore from a coal scam linked to one Vinay Mishra was routed through hawala channels to fund the TMC’s election campaign in Goa.

Dismissing the Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool’s massive protest march on Friday as an “artificial theatre”, Adhikari said, “There is no spontaneous public support.” Responding to the attack on his convoy at Chandrakona, Adhikari said he was “not afraid”.

“If fighting this government means facing attacks, so be it. These struggles are necessary to remove the regime,” he said.

Looking ahead to the 2026 Assembly elections, he called for the “bisharjan” (immersion) of the present government and promised that a BJP-led administration would ensure central-rate dearness allowance for state employees, transparent recruitment through the SSC and PSC, and recovery of alleged laundered funds to the state exchequer.