West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday visited the residence of Indian Political Action Committee (I-PAC) chief Pratik Jain amid ongoing searches by the Enforcement Directorate (ED), triggering a major political confrontation in Kolkata.

Banerjee reached Jain’s house around noon, shortly after Kolkata Police Commissioner Manoj Verma arrived at the location. She remained there for nearly 20 to 25 minutes before stepping out with a green folder, alleging that the central agency was attempting to seize sensitive digital data and internal documents belonging to the Trinamool Congress (TMC).

Addressing reporters outside the residence, the chief minister claimed that the ED raid targeted the party’s IT cell and involved the confiscation of hard disks, mobile phones, laptops and documents related to candidate selection and internal election strategy.

“ED raided my IT sector office and searched the residence of the in-charge of my IT sector. They were confiscating my party’s documents and hard disks which have details about our assembly election candidates. I have brought those back,” Banerjee said.

She described the searches as politically motivated and unconstitutional, alleging that central agencies were being used to intimidate opposition parties ahead of elections.

Banerjee accuses Amit Shah of political vendetta

Escalating her attack, Banerjee targeted Union Home Minister Amit Shah, accusing him of misusing constitutional institutions for political purposes.

“This is not law enforcement, this is political vendetta. The home minister is behaving like the nastiest home minister, not someone who protects the country,” she alleged.

The chief minister also claimed that ED officials attempted to take away a laptop from the premises and were selectively collecting political data. She further alleged that names of more than 15 lakh voters from West Bengal had been deleted from electoral rolls without proper explanation.

Meanwhile, searches were also conducted at the office of I-PAC, the political consultancy firm headed by Jain, as part of the same operation.

What the ED said

In an official statement, the ED rejected the allegations and clarified that the searches were evidence-based and not directed at any political party or office.

“Search is ongoing at 10 places — six in West Bengal and four in Delhi. The case relates to illegal coal smuggling. The search covers various premises linked to generation of cash and hawala transfers,” the agency said.

The ED maintained that the action was part of a routine investigation into money laundering and had no connection with elections. It also alleged that certain individuals, including constitutional functionaries, had illegally intruded into two of the searched premises and forcibly taken away documents.

The political landscape in Maharashtra witnessed a sharp churn after the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Congress came together in the Ambernath Municipal Council of Thane district, sidelining the Shiv Sena led by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde despite it emerging as the single largest party.

The unexpected post-poll arrangement, aimed at keeping the Shinde faction out of power, has triggered disciplinary action within the Congress and drawn criticism from alliance partners and rival parties alike.

BJP-led front secures majority in Ambernath

Following the municipal council elections, the BJP, Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party (Ajit Pawar faction) formed a joint front named the Ambernath Vikas Aghadi. The alliance includes 14 BJP councillors, 12 Congress councillors, four from the NCP (Ajit Pawar faction) and one independent corporator.

With the addition of the council president’s post, the alliance’s strength has reached 32 members, ensuring a clear majority in the civic body. BJP leader Tejashree Karanjule was subsequently elected president of the Ambernath Municipal Council.

The development is politically significant as the Shiv Sena (Shinde faction) had emerged as the single largest party after the elections but was kept out of power through post-result negotiations.

Congress suspends local leaders over alliance

The Maharashtra Congress leadership reacted sharply to the development, suspending Ambernath bloc chief Pradeep Patil along with all elected Congress corporators involved in the alliance. The state unit also dissolved the Ambernath block Congress committee, terming the move a violation of party discipline.

In a formal communication, senior state Congress leader Ganesh Patil said the decision to align with the BJP was “completely wrong” and taken without authorisation. The action was ordered by Maharashtra Congress president Harshvardhan Sapkal.

Fadnavis terms tie-up unacceptable

Chief Minister and senior BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis distanced the party’s central leadership from the local arrangement, calling the alliance unacceptable. He said that if local leaders had taken such a decision independently, it would be considered a breach of discipline and corrective action would follow.

Fadnavis added that instructions had been issued to scrap the alliance if it had been formed without approval.

Shiv Sena attacks BJP over ideology

The alliance has provided fresh ammunition to the Shiv Sena (Shinde faction), which accused the BJP of ideological inconsistency. Sena leaders described the tie-up as unethical, pointing to the BJP’s long-standing “Congress-free India” slogan.

Shinde faction MLA Balaji Kinikar said the development sent a confusing message within the Mahayuti alliance and argued that Ambernath should have seen a traditional BJP–Shiv Sena partnership. He warned that such political compromises could impact future municipal and civic elections across Maharashtra.

Local BJP defends move citing governance

Local BJP leaders defended the alliance, claiming it was formed in the interest of development and clean administration. BJP leader Gulabrao Karanjule Patil alleged that corruption cases had surfaced during the Shiv Sena (Shinde faction)’s earlier tenure, with former municipal presidents even facing jail time.

He said efforts were made to hold talks with the Shinde faction for a broader alliance, but there was no response, leaving the BJP with limited options to ensure stable governance in the council.

Strains surface within Mahayuti

The Ambernath episode has exposed visible cracks within the Mahayuti alliance, deepening mistrust between the BJP and the Shinde-led Shiv Sena. While the BJP-Congress arrangement has altered the power equation in the civic body, it has also raised larger questions about ideological consistency and future alliance dynamics in Maharashtra.

As political reactions continue, the Ambernath developments are being closely watched for their potential impact on upcoming municipal corporation and local body elections across the state.

Congress leader Prithviraj Chavan has triggered a controversy after making a remark comparing India to Venezuela and questioning whether a similar situation could unfold under US President Donald Trump, a comment that drew sharp criticism and ridicule on social media.

Referring to a US military action in Venezuela that resulted in the capture of President Nicolas Maduro, Chavan posed a rhetorical question during his attack on the Narendra Modi government over India-US trade tensions. He asked whether something similar could happen in India and whether Trump could “kidnap” India’s prime minister — a statement many online users described as absurd.

The remark quickly went viral, prompting a barrage of criticism. Several social media users mocked the comparison, pointing out that India is a nuclear power and calling the statement irresponsible and ill-considered.

Former Jammu and Kashmir director general of police S P Vaid strongly criticised Chavan’s comments, calling them “humiliating for the entire country.” Vaid questioned whether such a comparison reflected the Congress party’s broader thinking and urged leaders to exercise restraint while speaking on sensitive geopolitical matters.

Tariff issue behind the political attack

Chavan’s comments came as part of the Congress’s criticism of the Modi government over steep tariffs imposed by the United States on Indian goods. He argued that a 50 per cent tariff effectively blocks bilateral trade, particularly exports from India to the US.

According to Chavan, such tariffs have reduced export earnings for Indian businesses, forcing the country to explore alternative markets. He said efforts were already underway to diversify trade destinations as a response to the situation.

Kharge targets Modi over Trump remarks

The controversy follows recent remarks by Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, who cited comments attributed to Trump regarding India’s purchase of Russian oil. Kharge referred to an audio clip in which Trump claimed that India was willing to reduce its Russian oil imports after facing US tariffs.

Kharge used the remarks to allege that Prime Minister Modi was acting under pressure from the US president, questioning the nature of the much-publicised friendship between the two leaders. He compared the situation to a popular film dialogue to underline his criticism.

Trade data shows export growth despite tariffs

Despite the political sparring, official trade data shows that India’s merchandise exports to the United States rose 22.61 per cent to $6.98 billion in November, even after the imposition of steep tariffs.

During the April–November period of the current financial year, exports to the US increased by 11.38 per cent to $59.04 billion, while imports from the US rose 13.49 per cent to $35.4 billion, reflecting continued trade engagement between the two countries.