Mamata Banerjee takes a swipe at BJP after ED raids Bengal Minister's house

Addressing the media, Banerjee said, "ED raid at Jyotipriya Mallick's house proves BJP's abuse of power to muzzle any opposition to their authoritarian rule."

"Ever asked your supremo's poster boy (Assam Chief Minister) Himanta Biswa Sarma about the Assam PPE kit scam? " she asked.

"No wonder corrupt leaders like you join BJP to escape ED raids," Banerjee stated, targeting Himanta Biswa Sarma.

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Thursday conducted raids at the flats of West Bengal minister Jyotipriya Mallick at Salt Lake and his former private assistant's houses at Nager Bazar in Dum Dum simultaneously.

The raids began at least in eight places around 6:30 AM following inputs after the arrest of businessman Bakibur Rahaman, who allegedly has a link with the minister. sources added.

The raids are being conducted following the alleged irregularities in ration distributions during the pandemic period when Mallick was the state food supplies minister.

Raids were being conducted simultaneously in Mallick's two flats of Mallick at Salt Lake (Kolkata) area, two other flats belonging to Dey at Vivekananda Road (Nager Bazar in Dum Dum) and another house of Dey at Bhagabati Park, also in Nager Bazar.

The ED, which is probing the money trails of the alleged irregularities in the statutory ration distribution system, has information that the arrested businessman Bakibur Rahaman has huge businesses in Bengal, Mumbai, and even in Dubai worth nearly 100 crores of rupees.

Sources also claimed Bakibur had rapport with Mallick when the latter was the state food supplies minister in the previous Mamata Banerjee government. After the win in the 2021 assembly poll, Mallick was shifted to the Department of Forest Affairs and Non-Conventional and Renewable Energy sources.

Mallick represents the Habra assembly segment in the North 24 Parganas.

The ED had raided the residence of current state food minister Rathin Ghosh, also in North 24 Parganas.