“Why Are You So Nervous After 14 Years in Power?” BJP Questions Mamata Banerjee Over ED Raid Row

Political tensions escalated on Friday following the Enforcement Directorate (ED) raid on the I-PAC office in Kolkata, with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) launching a sharp attack on West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. Senior BJP leader and Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad accused Banerjee of undermining constitutional norms and obstructing investigative agencies.

Addressing the media in New Delhi, Prasad said the events that unfolded in West Bengal were unprecedented in independent India. He alleged that a sitting Chief Minister entering a private property during an ED investigation, threatening officials and allegedly seizing documents, was unethical, irresponsible, and unconstitutional.

“A Dark Chapter for Democracy”

Prasad claimed that the ED action was part of a probe into money laundering, coal smuggling, and hawala transactions, following complaints of crores of rupees in suspicious financial dealings linked to a private consultancy firm headed by Prateek Jain. He emphasized that the raid was not conducted at Mamata Banerjee’s residence, office, the TMC headquarters, or the home of any party leader, but at a private consultancy firm.

“The ED has clearly stated this in its official press release, available on its website. We are not making these allegations—the agency itself has,” Prasad said.

Allegations of Shielding Corruption

The Union Minister further alleged that West Bengal has become a major hub for coal smuggling, with the involvement of individuals close to the ruling party. He accused the state government of systematically preventing investigations by central agencies like the CBI and ED, claiming that corruption networks have spread across the state administration.

‘Why This Panic?’

Raising pointed questions, Prasad asked,
“Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, why are you so nervous? You have been in power for 14 years, you have served as a Union Minister, and you understand governance. Why did you feel the need to violate every rule, law, and democratic convention to intervene personally? Was there something suspicious that needed to be removed?”

He concluded by stating that Banerjee’s actions were not only unbecoming of a constitutional authority but also a direct assault on democratic institutions and the rule of law.