Senior Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury alleged that political consultancy firm Indian Political Action Committee (I-PAC) functioned as a “corporate entity” working to advance the political interests of the ruling All India Trinamool Congress (TMC) in West Bengal.
Chowdhury’s remarks came as Mamata Banerjee intensified her criticism of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) over recent raids at I-PAC offices. Addressing the media, Chowdhury questioned Banerjee’s response to the ED action and alleged selective outrage.
The Congress leader claimed that it was on the advice of Prashant Kishor, without naming him directly, that the TMC brought a “renowned cricketer” from Gujarat to contest from Murshidabad, a Muslim-majority district, during the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. He implied that the move was aimed at defeating him by leveraging religious identity, though he did not name TMC MP Yusuf Pathan.
According to Chowdhury, a “heinous” act was committed in his constituency, alleging that a communal riot was engineered at the behest of I-PAC. He further claimed that this was later acknowledged by a TMC MLA in public.
Chowdhury also alleged that TMC MLA Humayun Kabir was used as a front, on I-PAC’s advice, to organise riots in Murshidabad, intimidate Hindu residents, and allegedly shift Hindu votes towards the BJP. He claimed that these actions were part of a larger political strategy.
Questioning Banerjee’s criticism of the ED, Chowdhury said the agency had conducted investigations against multiple political parties, including the Congress. He alleged that when Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi were targeted by central agencies, Banerjee did not raise objections, accusing her of reacting selectively now.
Further, Chowdhury alleged that I-PAC acted as an intermediary to extract money for senior TMC leaders and played a decisive role in shaping the party’s internal functioning. He claimed that while I-PAC did not contest elections, it allegedly influenced leadership decisions, internal voting, and organisational roles within the TMC.
“I-PAC acts as the eyes and ears of the TMC,” Chowdhury alleged, claiming that funds collected through these activities were routed to the TMC, with the consultancy firm taking a share.
Source: MoneyControl
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