KOLKATA: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s party Trinamool Congress has lodged a formal complaint with the state’s chief electoral officer alleging that the Central Bureau of Investigation raids during the second phase of Lok Sabha Election was a BJP conspiracy to tarnish her party’s image. Mamata Banerjee’s party also accused the West Bengal Election Commission of turning a ‘blind eye’ on the actions of the central agencies and how they were influencing the state’s voters.

“In this regard, it is stated that though ‘law and order’ is a domain falling completely within the ambit of the State Government, the CBI did not issue an actionable notice to the State Government and/or the police authorities before carrying out such a raid. Further, the State Police has a fully functional bomb disposal squad which could have assisted the entire operation, if the CBI indeed felt that a bomb squad was required during such a raid,” TMC wrote in its letter to West Bengal’s Chief Electoral Officer.

TMC writes to the West Bengal Chief Electoral Officer complaining against the CBI for conducting a raid in Sandeshkhali on election day. pic.twitter.com/e4xLeBpC9j
— ANI (@ANI) April 27, 2024

It may be recalled that the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) conducted raids on Friday during which it recovered arms and ammunition in Sandeshkhali.

The central agency conducted searches and raids at many places and reportedly seized foreign-made pistols. The CBI is probing a mob attack on the team of Enforcement Directorate, which was reportedly organised by a local Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader. 

The ED officials were heckled and attacked when they attempted to raid TMC strongman Shahjahan Sheikh’s premises in connection with a ration fraud on anuary 5.

That attack, which is thought to have been carried out by Shahjahan’s supporters who were on the run for almost two months prior to his arrest, resulted in a series of complaints against him and set off an intense political battle between the opposition, which included the INDIA bloc, of which the Trinamool is a member, and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s government.