By Admin 
The arrest of I-PAC co-founder Vinesh Chandel just 10 days before the West Bengal Assembly elections has created a big storm in politics. Regarding this action of the Enforcement Directorate (ED), on one hand Trinamool Congress (TMC) is calling it an attack on democracy, while on the other hand BJP and Left parties are calling it a strict step against corruption. In such a situation, this matter has now become not just a legal investigation but also a major issue of electoral battle. On April 13, ED arrested Vinesh Chandel in a money laundering case related to the alleged coal scam.
On the evening of 13 April itself, the Delhi court sent him to ED custody for 10 days. The agency alleges that suspicious transactions worth crores of rupees, Hawala channel and unaccounted cash were used through I-PAC. According to the investigation, Chandel allegedly injected the funds into the system by dividing them into two components—banking and cash—and used them to influence election expenditure and public perception. ED claims that an attempt was made to legitimize around Rs 3.5 crore by showing it as an unsecured loan.
TMC’s attack- this is an election conspiracy
TMC has directly attacked the Central Government and ED on this action. Party MP Derek O’Brien said, ‘We demand the immediate and unconditional release of Vinesh Chandel. We demand that central agencies be removed from Bengal before the elections. He said sarcastically, ‘The organization which was earlier called ED, has changed its new name last night – Extremely Desperate. 10 days before voting, this is not law enforcement, but election sabotage.
Derek O’Brien raised questions on ED’s action and said, ‘We have said it before and will say it again – only 0.1 percent of cases under PMLA are punished. There are cases against 23 out of 25 opposition leaders, but as soon as they join BJP, they get the ‘Nirma’ packet and everything becomes clear. This is a political tool, which everyone knows.
Abhishek Banerjee’s war – an atmosphere of fear is being created
TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee called it dangerous for democracy. He said, ‘The arrest of I-PAC co-founder Vinesh Chandel just 10 days before the Bengal elections is not only worrying, it shakes the entire concept of a level playing field.’ He warned, ‘If you work with the opposition, you could become the next target. This is not democracy, this is politics of intimidation.
Accusing double standards, Abhishek Banerjee said, ‘Those who have serious corruption allegations, they get protection as soon as they change sides, while the rest are targeted for political convenience. The public is seeing everything now.
BJP and Left counterattack- network of corruption exposed
While TMC is calling it a conspiracy, BJP and Left parties have called this arrest a major action against corruption. Bihar Minister Ramkripal Yadav said, ‘You must have seen how Chief Minister Mamata Didi reached the I-PAC office, ignoring constitutional decorum and took documents from the officials during the investigation. Now their true colors have been revealed. All this corruption was happening under the patronage of Mamata Didi. The people of Bengal were being looted.
BJP MP Rahul Sinha alleged, ‘I-PAC has become a partner of Trinamool’s theft in the name of political advisor. This consultancy is just a sham. These people hide and save the black money of Trinamool. Today its direct connection with the coal scam has come to light. The investigation will proceed and many people will be arrested.
CPI(M) leader Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharya said, ‘I-PAC is a shell company for Trinamool, through which corrupt money collected from different sources is diverted. This is the reason why the Chief Minister tried to stop the ED during the investigation. Abhishek Banerjee and his aunt Mamata Banerjee are the root of corruption and they are afraid of any fair election.
Why ED’s action?
I-PAC co-founder Vinesh Chandel was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate in a money laundering and alleged hawala transaction case, after which a Delhi court sent him to ED custody for 10 days. Chandel, who is a law graduate from NLIU Bhopal and holds 33 per cent stake in the company, was arrested after questioning at 7.45 pm and produced in the court late in the night.
This action was taken under the PMLA case registered on March 28, which is based on the FIR of Delhi Police. It is alleged that I-PAC concealed its financial activities through fake accounting and unaccounted funds. According to the ED, under Chandel’s leadership, the company hid the true nature of the funds by dividing them between banking and cash channels and injected around Rs 3.5 crore into the system as fake loans.
The agency claims that this money was used for election expenses and to influence public opinion, while there is a possibility of money laundering of up to Rs 50 crore. There have also been allegations of trying to destroy evidence during the raid. The defense side has called it a politically motivated action before the elections.
Investigation or political strategy?
This entire incident has raised many big questions. Is this action really a necessary investigation under the law, or a strategy to corner the opposition before the elections? On one hand, ED has serious allegations – hawala, fake funding and transactions worth crores. On the other hand, the opposition alleges that the agencies are being used to create political pressure.
Also read:-
Exclusive: ‘Will file PIL against ECI’, why Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma got angry at Election Commission