Mamata Banerjee vs ED showdown escalates, Swapan Dasgupta exclusive, and more

A political firestorm has erupted in West Bengal after the Enforcement Directorate (ED) raided the offices of political consultancy I-PAC, which works with the Trinamool Congress (TMC). TMC MP Mahua Moitra defended Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s intervention during the raid, justifying it as protecting party property from what she called "political loot, political robbery and political espionage." Moitra accused the BJP-led central government of weaponizing agencies to derail the TMC's election strategy, labeling the ED and CBI as "puppets" and vowing to resist. In response, BJP leader Swapan Dasgupta stated the Chief Minister's actions were an "affront to the rule of law," suggesting they are replacing it with the "law of the ruler." Senior Advocate and Congress MP Abhishek Manu Singhvi questioned the timing of the raids before an election, calling it a "political assault" and a "malafide, vendetta-driven exercise of power." The confrontation has moved to the Calcutta High Court, escalating the institutional clash.