Adhir Ranjan hits out at Mamata, claims I-PAC sabotaged elections by engineering communal riots in West Bengal

Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury described I-PAC as a corporate entity.

• Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury accused I-PAC of furthering TMC's political interests
• He alleged I-PAC advised TMC on using religious identity for electoral gains
• Chowdhury accused I-PAC of inciting riots and meddling in TMC's internal matters.

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As West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee stepped up her attack on the Enforcement Directorate (ED) over raids at the offices of political consultancy I-PAC, senior Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury described the firm as a “corporate entity” allegedly working to further Trinamool Congress’s political interests.

Chowdhury alleged that it was on Jain's advice that TMC brought in a renowned cricketer to Murshidabad, a Muslim majority district, from Gujarat – implying TMC MP Yusuf Pathan, but without directly naming him – to defeat him in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, to gain an edge by "using his religious identity".

According to him, a” heinous” job was perpetrated by them. “In my constituency one communal riot was engineered at the behest of IPAC. And now it has been acknowledged by none other than its own party MLA in the full glare of media," Chowdhury told the media,” said Chowdhury

He further accused that it was on I-PAC's advice that TMC MLA Humayun Kabir was used as a front to organise riots in Murshidabad, terrorise Hindus and “conspired to shift Hindu votes to BJP's kitty”.

"I want to ask Didi (Mamata Banerjee), why are you so worked up with the actions of the ED. This agency has launched attacks on many political parties in this country, including the Congress, where it insulted Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi. You weren't bothered then. You are selective in your reactions," the Congress leader alleged, addressing Banerjee, but without directly naming her.

Chowdhury went on to allege the company acted as the means to extract money for top leaders of the ruling Trinamool dispensation in the state and help the party devise conspiratorial methods to win elections.

"I-PAC acts as the eyes and ears of the TMC. The body itself does not contest elections, but it controls the internal functioning of the TMC, deciding who will sit in which position, who will become a leader, and even influencing internal voting. These people are directly involved in the entire process. The money collected through all this is sent to the TMC office, and I-PAC takes its share from it. This is the reality of I-PAC," Chowdhury told PTI.