On this Special Report, the focus is on the dramatic ED raid at I-PAC's Kolkata office. BJP National Spokesperson Tuhin Sinha alleges, 'The papers which she came out with dates back to February 2022. Is she trying to say that February 2022 papers are linked to her present preparation?' The programme explores the clash between West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and the central agency, with the ED claiming obstruction of justice in the 2020 coal scam probe. Political Commentator Shikha Mukherjee calls it the 'first punch' in the 2026 election battle.
00:00Joining me is Tawseef Rehman, spokesperson TMC, Shikha Mukherjee, political commentator,
00:05Tuhin Sinan, national spokesperson, Bharatiya Jamtha Party.
00:08I'd like to begin with Shikha Mukherjee, political commentator.
00:11Shikha Mukherjee, what do you make or what we're witnessing right now?
00:16I think it's the first punch in a boxing match.
00:22And with the ED having delivered a punch, Mamta has hit back.
00:27And I think this is just the start of the game.
00:30It's not game over.
00:31It's just the start of the game.
00:34Why did the ED raid?
00:36I think the timing is what is disturbing.
00:40The timing is what is making us all speculate.
00:43And the timing is when the SIR process is going on.
00:48And we all know that the IPAC has been sort of accused of manipulating the SIR rules, helping the TMC, figuring out what to do, how to get out of this jam.
01:04Having said that, there is the SIR.
01:06Then there is what Mamta says is AHA Party's documents, the data that she claims is there in these offices at the home of Prateen Jail, etc.
01:16And if she's walking out with all these files and making a sort of huge demonstration of the misuse of agency, something that she has campaigned about in 2021, in 2024, and before,
01:36then it develops into a kind of ongoing, it's a one further addition to an ongoing narrative of the fact that the opposition ruling states are being victimized, being sort of intimidated.
01:56And there is a manipulation of perception going on through this branding of corruption.
02:05All right.
02:05Okay.
02:06You know, also what's happened is that the Enforcement Directorate has approached the Kolkata High Court, where they say that Mamta Banerjee is trying to come in the way of investigation.
02:17IPAC has also approached the High Court and the hearing is tomorrow.
02:19So that's on the side.
02:20But I want to go across to the TMC spokesperson.
02:23The 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?
02:36What is it that the Chief Minister has to hide?
02:40Good evening, Priti Jai.
02:41Priti Jai, I don't think so we have anything to hide.
02:44I 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?
02:51I mean, at least a call at the Nizam place where nothing happened.
02:55We just came back though.
02:56See, again, this ED is just following the instruction of BJP.
02:59Why these radians are always doing election, Priti Jain?
03:02Their intention is clear to harass TMC, but they are daydreaming.
03:05IPAC is our office from where we plan our strategies.
03:09What they wanted to loot, actually.
03:10I just wanted to know.
03:11I mean, this loot is what we're all about.
03:13Our strategies, our candidate names, so that BJP can harass them and blackmail them.
03:17Why such exercise only during election season?
03:20Basically, now BJP's state is seeing yesterday's Abhishek Banerjee's program at ETAHAR.
03:24They couldn't sleep all night.
03:26What is the success rate of ED, Priti Jai?
03:28Tell me about it.
03:29I mean, here's some interesting facts about Shah's private mafia.
03:32I mean, that is ED.
03:34About 98% of ED cases against the politicians were filed on opposition leaders.
03:38The remaining 2% are those who went and joined BJP washing machine.
03:42I mean, you take it as Suvindu Adhikari.
03:43But then if there is...
03:44Okay, so you can actually quote that conviction rate in your favor and say you've nothing to
03:48hide, come, because once again the ED can come to a notch.
03:51And you can go ahead and use it politically.
03:54So why barge in to an office and try and take out files?
03:59Because that is coming in the way of investigation.
04:02No, of course.
04:02Those are strategy files.
04:04Those are candidate names.
04:06Why would I allow them to loot?
04:07I mean, this is not a bazaar.
04:09This is not a morgue that you will come anytime and barge in to an office.
04:13That's a private office.
04:14IPAC is just not a consultation company, but they are working with TNC.
04:16The whole world knows about it.
04:18But I want to know the intention of ED.
04:20And why BJP is so much worried?
04:22Before giving a statement, before coming a statement from ED, there was a statement from BJP.
04:27That's a B team of ED.
04:29I just don't understand.
04:31I want to bring in Tuhin Sinha into this conversation.
04:33Tuhin Sinha, and I'd like our producers to go back.
04:36And this was just journalistic inquisition.
04:39We just took out last ten elections across the country.
04:42All ten elections.
04:44And what we found, Tuhin Sinha, was very interesting.
04:46Because three months, two months, sometimes one month before elections,
04:51some agency has cracked down either on the opposition party to the BJP
04:55or the party which was incumbent, which was not the BJP.
05:00I'm not saying there is anything behind it, Tuhin Sinha,
05:02but these are interesting facts that one needs to ponder about.
05:09Well, good evening, Preeti.
05:11Good evening, everybody.
05:12Before, you know, expanding or extrapolating to other cases,
05:18I think we must say.
05:20Now, ED was raiding ten premises, six in Bengal, four in Delhi,
05:25with regard to the coal scam of 2020.
05:27Now, if during the coal scam, a certain Havala network was discovered,
05:33money laundering network was discovered,
05:35and that, you know, network is supposed to have made payments
05:38of ten cents of crows to IPAC,
05:41do you think IPAC should have been given immunity
05:45just because, you know, it is working with TMC?
05:48That's the question over here.
05:49We never intended to go after IPAC.
05:52It could have been the Havala money could have been traced
05:54to an educational institute, it could have been traced
05:56to a hospital or whatever.
05:58But the fact is, if that money trail is important
06:01in the investigation, we need to get to the bottom of the case.
06:05Now, the point is, why is Mamata Banerjee so desperate?
06:08I think by her own lowly standards of moral conduct,
06:11what she has done today, you know, has achieved a new law.
06:14Why would a chief minister run to the office which is being raided?
06:20And by the way, the papers which she came out with,
06:24dates back to February 2022.
06:29Is she trying to say that February 2022 papers
06:32are linked to her present preparation?
06:34No, they are not a conflict of interest.
06:36See, there is Havala money which is involved in coal scam,
06:40and there is the same Havala money which is possibly involved
06:44in IPAC funding by TMC.
06:46What is it that the TMC is not able to get it?
06:50No, I'm not saying anything.
06:52This is the most prison complex.
06:53I'm saying, you know, if there is, if one smells a rat,
06:56one must investigate.
06:57But all we did, like I said, was we brought on the last 10 elections.
07:02I'm afraid there's a problem with your audio.
07:04We're going to try and connect it if you have time.
07:05I want to bring in Shikha Mukherjee back into this conversation.
07:08Shikha Mukherjee, what we are looking at,
07:09it may be a tad too early,
07:11but we are looking at a head-on collision
07:13where the investigative agencies are concerned
07:15and the TMC government.
07:16How does it serve the TMC politically
07:18and the BJP politically?
07:20Tomorrow, you have the IPAC going to court,
07:22you have the ED going to court,
07:23accusing each other of trespassing and other charges.
07:28Go ahead.
07:29Right.
07:30Well, it's interesting because if you look at the way
07:33in which the ED has rushed to court,
07:36saying that their investigations are being obstructed
07:40and they have accused the chief minister of abuse of power,
07:45it's going to be a free-for-all that follows.
07:49Let me go back to a point that Pratik Sinha,
07:52that Tuhin Sinha has raised.
07:56You know, if Havala money is being used by the TMC,
08:00then the raid ought to happen on the TMC's offices.
08:04Not on IPAC's offices necessarily.
08:06If the ED has the guts, they should raid it.
08:09If they don't know how the money leads where,
08:13then they should do it.
08:14Fair point.
08:15I don't have that much time.
08:16Ms. Mukherjee, let Tuhin Sinha answer that question.
08:25It's not going to be raided.
08:26See, the investigation follows its own trail.
08:29Don't obstruct it.
08:30That's my only limited point.
08:32And why is Mamata Banerjee?
08:33You know, Mamata Banerjee's behavior has a certain pattern.
08:36Whether it is Sheikh Shah Jahan,
08:37whether it is the criminals involved in the RG Corp case,
08:41why is she always seen siding with criminals?
08:44Is this some...
08:45No, but Tuhin Sinha, I just want to come in here.
08:47No, Tuhin Sinha, you know, just for the sake of clarity,
08:51where the RG Corp case was concerned,
08:53where the RG Corp case was concerned,
08:55just for the sake of clarity,
08:56it was actually the CID
08:57that actually figured out who the killer was.
09:00And you know it.
09:02The CBI came out with the same theory.
09:05To why does she always tend to have a soft corner for criminals?
09:10You know, she...
09:10We have seen that in the Sheikh Shah Jahan case.
09:12For two months, she tried to shield him.
09:15Okay, Tuhin Sinha, you have 30 seconds.
09:16The CDI got the better of him.
09:1820 seconds.
09:19Tuhin Sinha, sorry.
09:21Tausif Rahman, 20 seconds.
09:23Priti ji, I have a simple strategy.
09:25I want to know about the credibility of the AD.
09:27About...
09:28I mean, in the last 11 years,
09:29a total of 5 to 9, 7 cases were filed by AD.
09:32How many were taken to the court for trial?
09:34Only 47.
09:35So we are talking about the credibility.
09:36This is why we have to interfere.
09:38Because even if AD is an independent...
09:40But then, that's true.
09:40Okay, I'll say the same thing again.
09:42They cannot make a ruckus out of it.
09:44But Tausif Rahman, I'm going to end with that also.
09:46Then I can say the same thing again.
09:47Because if really nothing has come out of all the time
09:50the ED has cracked down on the opposition,
09:51use it to your favor.
09:52Let them continue these searches.
09:54Let them come up with nothing.
09:55Use it politically.
09:56But having said that, we're going to let it rest.
09:59Okay.
10:00You know, this is a story that is going to brew and continue.
Be the first to comment