The BJP on Sunday stated that the CBI raids at the residences of West Bengal minister Firhad Hakim and its MLA Madan Mitra were "obvious" as it is the "court's verdict so CBI is doing enquiry accordingly," news agency ANI reported. The CBI began searching Hakim and Mitra's homes early in the morning as part of its probe into suspected irregularities in state municipal body recruitments.


Speaking with media persons, West Bengal BJP President Sukanta Majumdar stated: "Kolkata High Court Justice had given the verdict that there are proofs of corruption in municipalities and corporations... Firhad Hakim is its minister (Urban Development & Municipal Affairs), so it's obvious there would be a raid on his house...This is the court's verdict so CBI is doing enquiry accordingly... All the thieves who sold jobs by giving money will go behind bars in the coming days."






BJP leader Kailash Vijayvargiya alleged that the ruling TMC party "never answer the notices sent under the Right to Information Act." " The connection of this corruption is with Mamata Banerjee's nephew Abhishek. A huge case of corruption is going to be exposed which will expose Mamata Banerjee, who dreams of becoming the PM, and how corrupt her family is," he stated. 






Speaking on the CBI raid at West Bengal Minister and TMC leader Firhad Hakim's residence, West Bengal BJP general secretary Agnimitra Paul said: "TMC does not do their homework... They should know that this investigation is going on at the orders of the Court. All those who had allegations against them and their homes are being investigated... Today the CBI is raiding Firhad Hakim and Madan Mitra's residence but they have been arrested before also... This is not related to the government... If you have not done anything wrong, you can go to the Court... The central government has nothing to do with it..."


The TMC called the CBI raids as a desperate attempt to deflect attention away from its continuing protest at the Raj Bhavan over demands for government money, news agency PTI reported.


“This is an attempt to divert the public’s attention from the ongoing protest outside Raj Bhavan, led by Abhishek Banerjee. The BJP appears to be sensing a growing public discontent, and they are using every means at their disposal to change the narrative. This is a clear example of vendetta politics,” senior TMC MP Sougata Roy was quoted by PTI in its report.


In response to the allegations, BJP spokesperson Samik Bhattacharya said: “If the TMC has nothing to hide, why are they afraid of ED and CBI? Whenever TMC leaders are summoned by the ED or CBI, they cry foul and accuse the agencies of being politically motivated. Yet, the reality is that the TMC is deeply mired in corruption with nearly every leader facing some allegation or the other.” 


Hakim is the mayor of Kolkata as well as the minister of urban development and municipal affairs. He is a TMC top leader with great clout in the party's hierarchy. Mitra, a former minister, is the MLA of Kamarhati in the North 24 Parganas district.


The CBI arrested both Hakim and Mitra in the Narada sting operation case in 2021. Mitra was also detained by the CBI in the Saradha chit fund fraud in 2014.


In connection with the recruiting case, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) inspected numerous sites on Thursday, including the house of Food and Supplies Minister Rathin Ghosh.


The central investigative authorities believe that between 2014 and 2018, around 1,500 persons were unlawfully recruited by various civic groups in the state for monetary reasons.


(With Agencies Inputs)