Kolkata, Jan 8 (IANS) Leader of the Opposition in the West Bengal Assembly, Suvendu Adhikari, on Thursday said that if the Enforcement Directorate (ED) does not take action against Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for allegedly obstructing officials during raid and search operations, it would send a wrong signal to the people of the state.

Adhikari was addressing mediapersons about the Chief Minister’s visit to the office of political consultancy firm India Political Action Committee (I-PAC) and the residence of its co-founder Pratik Jain on Loudon Street in central Kolkata, where the ED simultaneously conducted search operations earlier in the day.

He alleged that the Chief Minister stormed into the premises during the raids and left after collecting several papers and electronic documents.

Accusing Banerjee of repeatedly obstructing central investigating agencies from discharging their official duties, Adhikari said such conduct was habitual. “In 2019, when the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) officials went to the residence of the then Kolkata Police Commissioner and the current acting director general of state police, Rajeev Kumar, she tried to hinder that process and also staged a sit-in demonstration in the city against CBI. Again in 2021, she staged protest demonstrations in front of the CBI at Nizam Palace in central Kolkata when the CBI officials arrested some heavyweight members of the West Bengal cabinet and Trinamool Congress leaders,” reminded the leader of the opposition.

Adhikari also observed that Mamata Banerjee often forgets that she is not just a political personality but also a Chief Minister. “A Chief Minister has several constitutional obligations. She cannot use her chair to obstruct the central agency officials from performing their official duties. Her actions on Thursday were unethical and unconstitutional.”

Thereafter, the leader of the opposition said that the ED should also act against the Chief Minister in the matter as per legal provisions. “I hope that ED will take necessary action. Otherwise, it will send wrong signals to the people of West Bengal,” he said.

He also questioned why the Chief Minister was so worried about the ED raid at the office of a private corporate entity.

I-PAC has been serving as the vote-strategy agency for the Trinamool Congress since 2020.

–IANS

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