Mamata Banerjee turns agency action into mass mobilisation ahead of 2026 polls
January 11, 2026: The Enforcement Directorate’s raid on the I-PAC office and the residence of its co-founder Pratik Jain in Kolkata on January 8 sparked a major political controversy in West Bengal after Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee personally reached the spot and allegedly obstructed the operation. Linked to the long-running coal smuggling case registered in 2020, the raid quickly snowballed into a political flashpoint as Mamata took to the streets, leading a massive protest and accusing central agencies of targeting the Trinamool Congress for political reasons ahead of the 2026 Assembly elections.
While the ED maintains the action was part of a routine money-laundering probe under the PMLA, questions arose over the timing and execution of the raid, especially as neither Pratik Jain nor I-PAC had featured prominently in earlier public summons. The agency has alleged hawala transfers linked to political campaigning, but the lack of publicly detailed evidence and claims that no material was seized during the raid weakened its impact. Meanwhile, the BJP, despite controlling the Centre, failed to capitalise on the moment, responding in a fragmented manner and allowing the narrative to drift.
In contrast, Mamata Banerjee used her street power to full effect, recasting the raid as an attack on Bengal’s autonomy and TMC’s electoral machinery. Her swift mobilisation, including a large protest march in Kolkata, reinforced her image as a mass leader and shifted public focus from the investigation to alleged central overreach. The episode has underlined the BJP’s organisational weaknesses in the state and highlighted how, in West Bengal’s charged political climate, central agency actions can end up strengthening regional leadership rather than diminishing it.