TMC MPs detained in Delhi as ED raids on I-PAC trigger political storm ahead of Bengal polls

Delhi Police recently detained Trinamool Congress MPs Mahua Moitra and Derek O’Brien during a protest outside Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s office, escalating the political confrontation over Enforcement Directorate (ED) raids on the Kolkata office of political consultancy I-PAC.

The MPs were demonstrating against the ED action, which the TMC alleges is a targeted move by the Centre to intimidate political opponents months before the West Bengal Assembly elections. Police said the leaders were taken to Parliament Street Police Station after staging the protest near the Home Ministry.

The ED conducted searches at 10 premises linked to I-PAC in Kolkata and Delhi, including the residence of its director Pratik Jain. The agency said the raids are connected to a money-laundering probe linked to an alleged coal smuggling case registered in Delhi. Officials claimed that searches at one of the premises were “met with resistance”.

Founded by election strategist-turned-politician Prashant Kishor, I-PAC is currently advising the ruling Trinamool Congress in West Bengal. Opposition leaders described the raids as unprecedented, arguing that this is the first time a private election management firm has come under ED scrutiny. They likened the searches to a raid on a party office on the eve of elections and accused the Centre of selectively deploying central agencies.

The BJP rejected the allegations. BJP MP Sanjay Jaiswal claimed Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee interfered during the raid and alleged that documents were removed from the premises, a charge the TMC has denied. Jaiswal also described I-PAC as a “controversial firm” since its inception.

West Bengal BJP president Samik Bhattacharya said the episode reflected a “total breakdown of constitutional machinery” in the state and called for intervention by constitutional authorities, while urging voters to reject the TMC.

The developments unfolded amid heightened tension in the state after police arrested a man for allegedly sending a death threat to West Bengal Governor C V Ananda Bose. Officials said the accused was traced through technical surveillance and further investigation is underway.

Governor Bose said the ED action raised legal and constitutional questions and confirmed that multiple complaints had been received at Raj Bhavan. Advocates of the Calcutta High Court also met the Governor to flag their concerns over the raids.

As Bengal heads into a high-stakes election year, the ED searches, street protests, and arrests of MPs have turned the political heat up several notches, setting the stage for an intensifying showdown between the ruling TMC and the BJP-led Centre.