West Bengal burning under Mamta Banerjee: Anurag Thakur

Hamirpur (HP), Jan 9 (PTI) Former Union minister and BJP MP from Hamirpur, Anurag Thakur, on Friday asked West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee why she is “vehemently” opposing the ED raids on the premises of I-PAC, and who exactly she wants to protect from the federal probe agency.

Talking to mediapersons here, Thakur said, “West Bengal is burning under Mamata Banerjee's leadership, with the law and order collapsing completely. Under the chief minister's nose, criminals and officials who should be behind bars are being protected.

“Mamta Banerjee should tell the public why she is vehemently opposing the Enforcement Directorate (ED) raids and who exactly she wants to protect.” The ED searches at the residence of Pratik Jain, the chief of political consultancy firm I-PAC, and its office on Thursday triggered high drama, with Banerjee storming into the sites during the raids, accusing the central agency of trying to seize sensitive data of the Trinamool Congress ahead of the high-stakes Assembly polls scheduled this year.

Jain is the head of Trinamool’s IT cell.

The ED, which maintained that the searches were part of a money laundering probe into an alleged multi-crore rupee coal pilferage scam, accused Banerjee of obstructing a lawful investigation and claimed that she and the state police forcibly removed “key evidence” during the raids.

Thakur, who was on a one-day visit to his constituency, also welcomed the Himachal Pradesh High Court's decision directing the state government to conduct elections to Panchayati Raj institutions and urban local bodies before April 30, and said the Congress government should conduct the elections without any delay.

Earlier, Thakur inaugurated a newly constructed cold storage, warehouse and mart at the Primary Agricultural Service Cooperative Society in Bari.

The project will provide farmers with safe storage for their produce, better price realisation, and direct access to the market. It will also prevent crop wastage and increase farmers' income, Thakur said.

He also said that under the BJP at the Centre, cooperative initiatives are not only strengthening the rural economy, but are also creating numerous employment opportunities at the local level.

Such facilities accelerate rural development and also strengthen the goal of a self-reliant India, he added. PTI COR BPL ARI