Kolkata: CM Mamata Banerjee is set to hit the streets on Friday afternoon, leading a protest march from Jadavpur 8B bus stand to Hazra Crossing, a day after the Enforcement Directorate (ED) conducted searches at the Salt Lake office of political consultancy firm I-PAC and the Loudon Street residence of its director, Pratik Jain.“They lodged a false case against me (in Calcutta High Court). If they try to steal from my home, will I not try to prevent it? They stole everything — all data, including the SIR list — a clear case of theft. If someone tries to kill you, will you not try to defend yourself?” Banerjee said at a Gangasagar Mela transit camp later, even as Trinamool netas and workers took out protest marches statewide from 4 pm.“Many people sought our help for SIR, even that data were stolen. This is a clear case of attack and loot ahead of polls and they are saying fabricated things. The more you try to disturb me, the more I will retaliate,” she said, adding that she followed the advice of Shree Ramakrishna, as the saint also asked a snake not to bite but to hiss. “This is a reaction to their action,” Banerjee said.TMC sources said Friday’s rally is scheduled to begin at 2 pm and will see the participation of almost all senior party netas, barring “those busy with crucial SIR work”.Earlier, addressing party workers outside I-PAC’s Salt Lake office, Banerjee launched a blistering attack on BJP, calling it “the killer of democracy”.“How can they search the I-PAC office? Would it be acceptable if we searched their IT office? Even now, we are remaining patient. Despite so many deaths due to SIR and injustice, we are waiting for justice. But today they crossed all limits… They took our candidate names and looted our party strategy,” she said, urging party workers to begin demonstrations.Banerjee alleged that BJP was misusing central agencies to target TMC ahead of elections. “ED does not send notices to BJP. Whenever there is an election, the I-T department sends us notices. BJP is the biggest party of thieves. In the name of SIR, they sent notices to Nobel laureate Amartya Sen, renowned poet Joy Goswami and Dev. You will be surprised to know that names of a large number of women voters were deleted. They are also not allowing many young people’s names to be enrolled,” she said.Banerjee asserted that such actions would not help BJP electorally in Bengal. “Even after this, you will be reduced to 0. Mr Prime Minister, you should control your home minister. What they did is a crime and we will file an FIR against them,” she added.Responding to questions on whether TMC had finalized its candidate list, the CM said: “Certain suggestions keep coming in and we maintain a list. They took it away. They might threaten our people/probable candidates but our people cannot be scared.”Banerjee also warned that any instability in Bengal would have wider repercussions. “They only understand divisive politics. They want to forcefully bulldoze Bengal. But people of Bengal will not bow down.”TMC MP Mohua Moitra posted on X: “What we saw today is political burglary and espionage by ED. Tigress Mamata Banerjee, as head of our party, went in and retrieved what was ours. The law permits a person being robbed to do everything possible in self-defence to ward off theft.”Trinamool also shared two photographs on social media — one of a BJP statement issued at 2.43 pm and another of an ED statement released at 3.20 pm — alleging that the ruling party at the Centre was scripting the agency’s actions. “BJP sent ED to search in Kolkata after historic turnouts at Abhishek Banerjee’s rallies over the last few days,” the party said.
