Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has criticised West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for her actions during recent Enforcement Directorate (ED) raids connected to the Indian Political Action Committee (I-PAC), saying such behaviour could harm public trust.
Speaking to reporters in Guwahati on Friday, Sarma said Banerjee’s conduct at the raid locations in Kolkata was troubling. He alleged that her presence at the sites, removal of official documents, and remarks against the Union Home Minister crossed acceptable limits for someone holding a constitutional post.
According to Sarma, these actions could gradually erode the public respect attached to the office of a chief minister. He said it was unfortunate if a serving chief minister was seen interfering during an investigation, including allegedly confiscating files or detaining individuals.
The comments came a day after the Enforcement Directorate carried out searches at the residence of I-PAC chief Pratik Jain and the firm’s office in Kolkata. The raids led to high political drama when Banerjee arrived at the locations, claiming the central agency was attempting to seize sensitive Trinamool Congress data ahead of the upcoming assembly elections.
The ED, however, stated that the searches were part of an investigation into an alleged multi-crore coal pilferage scam. The agency has accused Banerjee and the West Bengal police of obstructing the probe and removing what it described as key evidence during the operation.
Sarma also used the opportunity to criticise the Banerjee-led government over the issue of illegal immigration from Bangladesh. He said West Bengal required a change in governance to address the problem effectively, claiming that stricter measures in Assam and Tripura had delivered better results.
He added that if similar policies were implemented in West Bengal, the situation could improve, and asserted that his party’s organisation in the state was ready for the challenge.
(With inputs from PTI)
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