CPI(M) alleges ED raid at I-PAC office 'stage-managed' before Bengal assembly polls

The CPI(M) on Thursday alleged that the raid at political consultancy firm I-PAC's office and the home of its director, Pratik Jain, is a ''stage-managed'' affair between the BJP and the TMC before the West Bengal assembly elections.

''Drama over the raid is being done, but the truth will not come out,'' CPI(M) West Bengal secretary Mohammed Salim said.

He asked what stature does Jain has in the Trinamool Congress that the chief minister ''had to rush to his residence and office during the ED raid.'' Addressing a hurriedly called press conference, Salim alleged that the kingpins in the alleged coal scam case are not being investigated by the central agencies.

''I-PAC is a private company, if it is raided, why should the chief minister go there?'' he asked.

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee dramatically turned up at the residence of I-PAC chief Pratik Jain in south Kolkata and its office in Salt Lake amid an ongoing ED raid, alleging that the central agency was attempting to seize the TMC’s internal documents, hard disks and sensitive data linked to its election strategy.

The Enforcement Directorate on Thursday conducted searches at the office of political consultancy firm I-PAC and the home of its director Pratik Jain in Kolkata as part of a money laundering probe into an alleged multi-crore rupee coal pilferage scam, official sources said.

The I-PAC's office in Salt Lake and Jain's house on Loudon Street are among about 10 premises, including four in Delhi, being raided by the federal probe agency in the presence of central paramilitary teams since 7 am, they said.

Assembly elections in West Bengal are due in the first half of this year.