Kolkata: Trinamool MP Mahua Moitra on Thursday criticised the Centre, accusing it of using the Enforcement Directorate (ED) to conduct politically motivated raids against the TMC ahead of elections.

Her remark came amid ongoing Enforcement Directorate raids at the IPAC office in Kolkata, which the TMC has described as politically motivated

She drew a parallel with the Watergate scandal in the United States, saying the attempt to seize sensitive political data mirrored the Nixon administration’s effort to steal classified records from its opponents.

“Exact parallel to USA Watergate scandal when govt got caught trying to steal classified medical records of political opponent—President Nixon had to eventually resign rather than face impeachment. @Mamataofficial is tigress leading from front—she will never ever bow down to BJP thug regime,” Moitra tweeted.

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Moitra alleged that the BJP was using the ED as a cover for “most outrageous political espionage never seen before in the political history of any democracy.”

She criticised the timing of the raids, questioning why the agency “suddenly wakes up in a 10-year-old case on eve of elections” and adding that “inconceivable after so long that info on any scam will be on IPAC devices—likely only current TMC political data will be.”

She justified Banerjee’s actions during the raid, saying: “Faced with this political burglary, Mamatadi as head of party fully justified to take possession of devices & files which would otherwise be irretrievably lost if ED allowed to get its hands on contained data.”

Also Read: ‘This is political vendetta’: Mamata Banerjee slams ED raid on I-PAC head Pratik Jain | VIDEO

The Chief Minister is set to lead a protest in Kolkata on January 9 following the raids at the IPAC office. The ED alleged that Banerjee entered the residential premises of Prateek Jain, director of the political consultancy group, during the search and took away “key evidence,” including physical documents and electronic devices.

The ED said its team was conducting the search “in a peaceful and professional manner till the arrival of the West Bengal Chief Minister, along with a large number of police officials.”

Banerjee, meanwhile, claimed that the agency unlawfully seized party-related data, laptops, mobile phones, and strategic documents. She alleged forensic experts transferred data during the raid, calling it a “crime” and daring Union Home Minister Amit Shah to contest the TMC democratically.

The Chief Minister maintained that I-PAC is an authorised team of the All India Trinamool Congress (AITC), not a private organisation. She said the ED confiscated sensitive party documents, including data related to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, even though the TMC is a registered political party that regularly submits income tax returns.