Kolkata, April 14 (IANS) The Trinamool Congress general secretary and Lok Sabha member Abhishek Banerjee expressed objections over the arrest of Indian Political Action Committee co-founder Vinesh Chandel by Enforcement Directorate officials on Monday night in New Delhi.​

“The arrest of Vinesh Chandel, co-founder of I-PAC, barely 10 days before the Bengal elections, is not just alarming; it shakes the very idea of a level playing field,” Banerjee said in a social media post on Monday night, soon after information surfaced about the arrest.​

According to Banerjee, at a time when West Bengal should be moving toward free and fair elections, this kind of action sends a chilling message. ​

He said, “If you work with the opposition, you could be next. That’s not democracy, that’s intimidation!”​

He also accused the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Union government of double standards by sparing those accused of corruption once they join the Bharatiya Janata Party. ​

“Those facing serious corruption allegations seem to find protection the moment they switch sides, while others are swiftly targeted at politically convenient moments. People are not blind to this anymore,” Banerjee added.​

According to him, when institutions like the Enforcement Directorate and the Election Commission of India, meant to protect democracy, start feeling like tools of pressure, trust begins to erode. ​

He said, “On one side, the Election Commission. On the other hand, agencies like the Enforcement Directorate, National Investigation Agency, and Central Bureau of Investigation are stepping in at the most sensitive time. It creates an atmosphere of fear, not fairness.”​

Banerjee stressed that the arrest of Chandel is bigger than one arrest, and it is about whether the country’s institutions remain independent.​

–IANS

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