Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Mahua Moitra was detained on Thursday as party lawmakers staged a protest outside the office of Union Home Minister Amit Shah, objecting to Enforcement Directorate (ED) raids at the Indian Political Action Committee (I-PAC) office in Kolkata. The protest was part of a broader show of resistance by the opposition party against what it described as the misuse of central agencies.
Senior TMC leader Derek O’Brien and several other party MPs were also detained while demonstrating near Shah’s office. The protest followed ED searches conducted a day earlier at the I-PAC premises in Kolkata, an action that has triggered sharp political reactions from the West Bengal ruling party.
‘ED Being Used As Political Tool'
Speaking during the protest, Mahua Moitra accused the Union government of weaponising the ED for political ends. “Yesterday, the entire country, especially Bengal, saw how the ED was misused by the Home Ministry,” she said. Moitra alleged that the agency was sent to “steal our party’s political and strategic information,” adding that Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had safeguarded the party’s interests. “Mamata Banerjee is a lioness,” she said.
The TMC has consistently claimed that central agencies are being deployed selectively against opposition parties, particularly in the run-up to elections.
Opposition Leaders Allege Election-Time Intimidation
TMC MP Kirti Azad echoed the allegations, calling the ED action undemocratic. “The raids were conducted in the wrong way. This is an attempt to win elections through undemocratic means,” he said, adding that the BJP would not succeed with such tactics.
Actor-turned-politician and TMC MP Satabdi Roy also criticised the timing of the raids. “They remember everything during election time,” she said, alleging that agencies such as the ED and CBI are routinely sent in during polls “just to win elections.” She added that such actions would not deliver electoral success.