00:00Good evening, you're watching To The Point. I am Preeti Chaudhuri, the biggest story coming in from the state of West Bengal.
00:07Three months short of elections and the fireworks have already begun.
00:13Well, not connected though. The Enforcement Directorate today raided the offices of IPAC,
00:20which is politically consulting with the TMC when it comes down to the elections of 2026.
00:25It's a high-stake election and the ED salute swooped in at the office of IPAC.
00:33But then what happened? Mamata Banerjee, armed with some of her guards,
00:41walked in through the back door of the IPAC office and was seen leaving with files.
00:46And the TMC calls this entire exercise a witch hunt, intimidation.
00:52While you have the BJP, the opposition in West Bengal and the ED calling it pure investigation.
00:59So intimidation or investigation? Take a look.
01:12The Enforcement Directorate on Thursday raided political affairs consultants, IPAC and CM Mamata Banerjee
01:19walked straight into the centre of the storm.
01:21The ED conducted searches at the residence of Prateek Jain, head of IPAC,
01:26which is managing TMC campaign for assembly polls.
01:31Simultaneous raids took place at the IPAC office in Kolkata.
01:34In a combative move, Mamata Banerjee rushed to Jain's residence while the ED operation was still underway.
01:53Moments later, cameras caught her leaving the premises, holding files, images that triggered controversy.
02:00From Jain's residence, the chief minister went straight to the IPAC office.
02:16As the ED search continued, TMC workers were seen removing files from inside the office,
02:22igniting a full-blown political storm.
02:25Thank you, Mr. Prateek, comida and
02:53A visibly angry Mamata Banerjee accused the BJP of weaponizing central agencies to intimidate
03:07the opposition ahead of elections.
03:23The enforcement directorate in a statement said the search was linked to a CBI case filed
03:45against Anoop Maji on November 27, 2020.
03:49The ED alleges that a syndicate led by Anoop excavated coal illegally from areas leased
03:56by eastern coal fields.
03:58A large part of this coal was allegedly sold to Shah Khambri group of companies.
04:04ED alleges tens of crores of rupees were routed to IPAC through Havala route.
04:10The agency added that Havala operators were also raided on Thursday.
04:15ED has accused Mamata Banerjee of taking away key evidence, including documents and electronic
04:21devices from Pratik Jain's residence.
04:24ED alleged that Mamata, her aides and police personnel removed documents from IPAC office
04:31as well.
04:32Mamata Banerjee called on TMC Carder to hit the streets and party workers responded with protest
04:42across Bengal.
04:43The BJP hit back sharply, accusing the chief minister of obstructing and off-screening the
04:49ongoing investigation.
04:50The BJP hit back sharply, accusing the chief minister of obstructing an ongoing investigation.
04:57Mukkha Montri, Kendriyo Samashtar, Sangbidhanic Samashtar Kajay.
04:58The BJP hit back sharply, accusing the chief minister of obstructing an ongoing investigation.
05:04Mukkha Montri, Kendriyo Samashtar, Sangbidhanic Samashtar Kajay.
05:05The BJP hit back sharply, accusing the chief minister of obstructing an ongoing investigation.
05:11In election-bound Bengal, the political showdown is nowhere near its end.
05:39Bureau Report, India Today.
05:46All right, so IPAC is the political consultancy consulting with the TMC where it comes down
05:56to the elections in 2026.
05:58But the association viewers between the TMC, Mamata Banerjee and the IPAC goes a long way
06:04and there is also a cord there with Mr. Prashant Kishore who started IPAC.
06:09And many would suggest was a key factor of engineering Mamata Banerjee's win in the last election.
06:15Let's take a look on the association of IPAC's electoral role in TMC's wins.
06:22Way back 2019-21, Prashant Kishore leads TMC, complete image revamp, organizational overhaul
06:29and lo-behold the results were big.
06:32In terms that, Mamata Banerjee won the assembly polls of 2021 by 215 out of 294 seats.
06:42So just look at that.
06:44The seats the IPAC took credit for along, of course, with the cult of Mamata Banerjee.
06:49Then 2023, Panchayat polls.
06:51TMC sweeps all 20 Zilla Parishads.
06:54IPAC once again consulting with the TMC.
06:58So this is Panchayat polls, 2023.
07:01Then Lok Sabha polls, 2024.
07:03Mind you, so much was said that the BJP could eat away key constituencies from the India Alliance,
07:10especially in West Bengal.
07:11And Mamata Banerjee had to be very worried.
07:13Well, the TMC did very well in the Lok Sabha polls in 2024.
07:18Then local body polls across West Bengal.
07:23TMC dominated.
07:25Kolkata local body polls.
07:27Municipal wards.
07:28And did very well, once again, with the help of IPAC.
07:33All right, so this is the association of IPAC, which was started by Prashant Kishore and the TMC.
07:40But is IPAC, viewers, the first political consultancy that has seen the ire of investigative agencies?
07:48Not quite.
07:49Well, if you go back, the IPAC was raided by ED.
07:52Now, in 2026, of course, TMC's political nerve center.
07:57But let's just go back a bit.
07:58Because there are other political strategists, political consultancies that have been in the eye of agency storms.
08:05Sunil Kunagulu, inclusive mind raided by Cybercell.
08:10Remember, he was fighting in, he was helping the Congress in Karnataka, especially DKS's campaign, and accused, though, of targeting BRS government on social media as well.
08:24So this was in December 2022, where he was targeted by the Telangana police.
08:30Then, in October 2021, Naresh Arora's design box was raided by the IT department.
08:35At that point of time, in fact, it was Naresh Arora who was working for the firm of DK Shiv Kumar, helping in the Karnataka elections.
08:43All right, so this is where you've had political strategists, you've had other political consultancies facing the ire of agencies.
08:54Now, in all of this, there is a political point as well, which the opposition wants to make, many members of the India Alliance wants to make.
09:03That, as polls approach, the agencies are activated, and they start raiding opposition parties.
09:11If we go across, and what we've done is, over the last ten years, looked into each election that has taken place,
09:17and we did find that very close to elections, there was agency action, and mostly against the party,
09:26which was either in power or not in power, but was the opposition to the BJP.
09:31Now, we are not trying to join any dots there, we are just trying to give you the information.
09:35So, you've had in Jharkhand, we just showed you, you had, all right, so it was West Bengal, Mamata Banuji, 2026.
09:41We are three months away from elections, and the political consultancy of TMC gets raided.
09:47Let's go back to Jharkhand, November 2024, income tax raids at premise of Chief Minister Hemant Soren.
09:54Let's go a little more back now.
09:56You've had Maharashtra elections, ED raids at Ajit Pawar mill and cooperative banks.
10:01This was Maharashtra 2023.
10:03This was before Ajit Pawar put his lot in with the BJP.
10:07Then, you had Chhattisgarh, August 2023.
10:10Multiple raids at properties of Chief Minister Bagel's aid.
10:14And then, let's just hark a little more.
10:16Delhi elections, May 2022.
10:18Two, Arm Admi Party leader Satendra Jain was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate.
10:23Let's go back now.
10:24You've had Tamil Nadu, April 2021.
10:26Tamil Nadu's up for elections again.
10:28So, we are going back to April 2021, income tax raids at the residence of MK Stalin's daughter.
10:34Now, we are not trying to make any connections here.
10:37We are just trying to give you the facts because in all of this is what the opposition says.
10:42This is a witch hunt.
10:43Come elections, the investigative agencies get active.
10:47All right, let's take all these questions to our panelists this evening.
10:50Joining me is Tawseef Rehman, spokesperson, TMC.
10:53Shikha Mukherjee, political commentator.
10:55Tuhin Sinan, national spokesperson, Bharatiya Jamtha Party.
10:58I'd like to begin with Shikha Mukherjee, political commentator.
11:01Shikha Mukherjee, what do you make of what we are witnessing right now?
11:04I think it's the first punch in a boxing match.
11:11And with the ED having delivered a punch, Mamta has hit back.
11:17And I think this is just the start of the game.
11:20It's not game over.
11:21It's just the start of the game.
11:23Why did the ED raid?
11:25I think the timing is what is disturbing.
11:30The timing is what is making us all speculate.
11:33And the timing is when the SIR process is going on.
11:38And we all know that the IPAC has been sort of accused of manipulating the SIR rules, helping
11:48the TMC, figuring out what to do, how to get out of this jam.
11:53Having said that, there is the SIR.
11:56Then there is what Mamta says is the AHA party's documents.
12:00The data that she claims is there in these offices at the home of Prateek Jail, etc.
12:07And if she's walking out with all these files and making a sort of huge demonstration of
12:17the misuse of agency, something that she has campaigned about in 2021, in 2024 and before,
12:27and then it develops into a kind of ongoing, it's a one further addition to an ongoing narrative
12:35of the fact that the opposition ruling states are being victimized, being sort of intimidated,
12:46and there is a manipulation of perception going on through this branding of corruption.
12:55All right. Okay. You know, also what's happened is that the enforcement directorate has approached
12:59the Kolkata High Court, where they say that Mamta Banerjee is trying to come in the way of investigation.
13:06IPAC has also approached the High Court and the hearing is tomorrow, so that's on the side.
13:10But I want to go across to the TMC spokesperson.
13:13The charge is very clear, Tauseef Rehman, if there is nothing to hide, then why barge into the office where the ED raids are taking place, try and run away with files?
13:26What is it that the Chief Minister has to hide?
13:29Good evening, Priti Jai. Priti Jai, I don't think we have anything to hide.
13:33I mean, if there is something, the ED was responsible, and they must be giving a show course notice to Pratik Jain or to the IPAC office.
13:41I mean, at least a call at the Nizam place where nothing happened. We just came back though.
13:46See, again, this ED is just following the instruction of BJP. Why these raids are always during election, Priti Jai?
13:51The intention is clear to harass TMC, but they are daydreaming.
13:55IPAC is our office from where we plan our strategies, what they wanted to loot actually.
14:00I just wanted to know. I mean, this loot is what we are all about.
14:03Our strategies, our candidate names, so that BJP can harass them and blackmail them.
14:08Why such exercise only during election season?
14:10Basically, now BJP's state seeing yesterday's Abhishek Banerjee's program at ETAHAR, they couldn't sleep all night.
14:16What is the success set of ED, Priti Jai? Tell me about it.
14:19I mean, here's some interesting facts about Shah's private mafia.
14:22I mean, that is ED.
14:24About 98% of ED cases against the politicians were filed on opposition leaders.
14:28The remaining two persons are those who went and joined BJP Washington.
14:32I mean, you take it as Swindu Adhika.
14:34Okay, so you can actually quote that conviction rate in your favor and say you've nothing to hide, come.
14:39Because once again, the ED can come to a notch.
14:41And you can go ahead and use it politically.
14:44So why barge in to an office and try and take out files?
14:49Because that is coming in the way of investigation.
14:51No, of course. Those are strategy files. Those are candidate names.
14:55Why would I allow them to do?
14:57I mean, this is not a bazaar. This is not a morgue.
15:00That you will come anytime and barge into an office. That's a private office.
15:04IPAC is just not a consultation company, but they are working with TMC.
15:07The whole world knows about it.
15:08But I want to know the intention of ED.
15:10And why BJP is so much worried?
15:12Before giving a statement, before coming a statement from ED, there was a statement from BJP.
15:17But that's a B team of ED.
15:19I just don't understand.
15:21I want to bring in Tuhin Sinha into this conversation. Tuhin Sinha, and I'd like our producers to go back.
15:27And this was just journalistic inquisition. We just took out the last ten elections across the country.
15:32All ten elections. And what we found Tuhin Sinha was very interesting.
15:36Because three months, two months, sometimes one month before elections, some agency has cracked down either on the opposition party to the BJP or the party which was incumbent, which was not the BJP.
15:49I'm not saying there is anything behind it, Tuhin Sinha, but these are interesting facts that one needs to ponder about.
15:56Well, good evening, Preeti. Good evening, everybody.
16:01Before, you know, expanding or extrapolating to other cases, I think we must say.
16:10Now, ED was raiding ten premises, six in Bengal, four in Delhi with regard to the coal scam of 2020.
16:18Now, if during the coal scam, a certain Havala network was discovered, money laundering network was discovered, and that, you know, network is supposed to have made payments of ten cents of crows to IPAC.
16:31Do you think IPAC should have been given immunity just because, you know, it is working with TMC?
16:38That's the question over here. We never intended to go after IPAC.
16:41It could have been the Havala money could have been traced to an educational institute.
16:45It could have been traced to a hospital or whatever.
16:48But the fact is, if that money trail is important in the investigation, we need to get to the bottom of the case.
16:54Now, the point is, why is Mamata Banerjee so desperate?
16:58I think by her own lowly standards of moral conduct, what she has done today, you know, has achieved a new low.
17:05Why would a chief minister run to the office which is being raided?
17:10And by the way, the papers which she came out with dates back to February 2022.
17:19Is she trying to say that February 2022 papers are linked to her present preparation?
17:24No, they are not. Conflict of interest. See, there is Havala money which is involved in coal scam.
17:30And there is the same Havala money which is possibly involved in IPAC funding by TMC.
17:36What is it that the TMC is not able to get it?
17:40No, I'm not saying anything. This is the most brazen conflict.
17:43I'm saying, you know, if there is, if one smells a rat, one must investigate.
17:47But all we did, like I said, was we bought all the last ten in actions.
17:52I'm afraid there's a problem with your audio. We're going to try and connect it if we have time.
17:55I want to bring in Shikha Mukherjee back into this conversation.
17:57Shikha Mukherjee, what we are looking at, it may be a tad too early,
18:00but we are looking at a head-on collision where the investigative agencies are concerned and the TMC government.
18:06How does it serve the TMC politically and the BJP politically?
18:10Tomorrow you have the IPAC going to court, you have the ED going to court accusing each other.
18:15of trespassing and other charges. Go ahead.
18:19Right. Well, it's interesting because if you look at the way in which the ED has rushed to court,
18:26saying that their investigations are being obstructed and they have accused the Chief Minister of abuse of power,
18:35it's going to be a free-for-all that follows.
18:39Let me, let me go back to a point that Pratik Sinai, that Tuhin Sinai has raised.
18:46You know, if Havala money is being used by the TMC, then the raid ought to happen on the TMC's offices.
18:53Not on IPAC's offices necessarily. If the ED has the guts, they should raid it.
18:59If they don't know how the money leads where, then they should do it.
19:03Fair point. I don't have that much time.
19:06Ms. Mukherjee, let Tuhin Sinai answer that question.
19:10It's not going to be raided. See, the investigation follows its own trail. Don't obstruct it. That's my only limited point.
19:22And why is Mamata Banerjee? You know, Mamata Banerjee's behavior has a certain pattern.
19:26Whether it is Sheikh Shah Jahan, whether it is the, you know, the criminals involved in the RG Corps case,
19:31why is she always seen siding with criminals? Is this some...
19:35No, but Tuhin Sinai, I just want to come in here.
19:37No, Tuhin Sinai, you know, just for the sake of clarity, where the RG Corps case was concerned,
19:43where the RG Corps case was concerned, just for the sake of clarity,
19:46it was actually the CID that actually figured out who the killer was.
19:50And you know it. The CBI came out with the same theory.
19:55Why does she always tend to have a soft corner for criminals? You know, she...
20:00We have seen that in the Sheikh Shah Jahan case. For two months, she tried to shield him.
20:04Okay, Tuhin Sinai, you have 30 seconds.
20:06The CBI got the better of him.
20:0820 seconds. Tuhin Sinai. Sorry, Tausse, Frehman. 20 seconds.
20:13Priti Ji, I have a simple strategy. I want to know about the credibility of the ED.
20:17About... I mean, in the last 11 years, a total of 5297 cases were filed by ED.
20:22How many were taken to the court for trial? Only 47.
20:25Okay. We are talking about the credibility. This is why we have to interfere.
20:28Because even if ED is an independent body...
20:31Okay, I'll say the same thing again. They cannot make a ruckus out of it.
20:34But Tausse, Frehman, I'm going to end with that also. Then I can say the same thing again.
20:37Because if really nothing has come out of all the time the ED has cracked down on the opposition,
20:41use it to your favour. Let them continue these searches.
20:44Let them come up with nothing. Use it politically.
20:46But having said that, we're going to let it rest. Thank you.
20:48Thank you. Okay.
20:49You know, this is a story that is going to brew and continue.
20:52Tomorrow you have both the ED and the TMC... and the IPAC, sorry.
20:56Going to court. Let's see how that pans out.
20:59While Mamata Banuji is taking out a march against what she says is a witch hunt by investigative agencies.
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