TMC dismisses reports of I-PAC halting WB ops, Mamata says party to give jobs to staffers if needed
Kolkata/Tarakeswar (WB) (PTI): Dismissing reports that political consultancy firm I-PAC had suspended its operations in West Bengal as "completely baseless", the TMC on Sunday alleged that a conspiracy was being hatched by the BJP-led Centre to cripple the party's campaign machinery through intimidation.
The sharp rebuttal from the ruling party came hours after reports surfaced that the Indian Political Action Committee (I-PAC), which has been closely associated with the TMC's election campaigns since 2021, had allegedly asked its employees in West Bengal to stop work immediately and proceed on a 20-day leave.
A newspaper report claimed an email purportedly sent by the organisation to its employees late on Saturday night cited "legal obligations" and said work in West Bengal would remain suspended until May 11, after which the next course of action would be communicated.
While the I-PAC is yet to issue any statement on the matter, the TMC, in an official comminique issued on Sunday afternoon, said the I-PAC had not withdrawn from the party's campaign.
"We have come across a media report claiming that I-PAC has halted its operations in West Bengal for the next 20 days. This claim is completely baseless and appears to be a deliberate attempt to create confusion on the ground," the party said.
ALSO READ: Telangana survey flags 89,000 child labourers, highlights caste disparities in employment
The statement asserted that the I-PAC team in West Bengal "remains fully engaged" with the TMC and that campaign operations across the state were continuing according to plan.
"These narratives are a deliberate attempt to distract from the clear mood on the ground. The people of West Bengal are fully capable of seeing through these attempts and will respond democratically," it added.
In a politically loaded message aimed at the BJP, the TMC said West Bengal would not be "swayed by misinformation or intimidation" and that the electorate would give its answer during polling on April 23 and 29.
The issue acquired a sharper political edge later in the day when Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee broke her silence and accused the BJP and central agencies of trying to frighten not just the TMC, but also those working for the party.
Addressing an election rally in Tarakeswar, Banerjee, without taking the consultancy firm's name, declared that if I-PAC employees were forced out of their jobs because of the ongoing pressure, her party would absorb them.
"They raid us through the ED every day. Suddenly, during elections, they remembered all this? They are telling those who work for our party to leave West Bengal. They have fifty organisations. We have only one," Banerjee said.
In a combative mood, she said, "If they are threatened, they will join us. We will give them jobs. I will not allow even one boy to lose his job. I spoke to Abhishek this morning before coming here."
Without naming the BJP directly, the chief minister alleged that a "deep conspiracy" was underway to disrupt the TMC's election preparations at a crucial juncture.
"We will not accept this conspiracy. How much more will you torture us? How many more votes will you try to snatch? After this, you will bring NRC," she said, invoking one of the Opposition's most potent political issues in West Bengal.
The TMC's aggressive pushback comes against the backdrop of mounting legal and investigative pressure on I-PAC and some of its senior functionaries.
The Enforcement Directorate had earlier conducted searches at I-PAC's office in Kolkata and at the Loudon Street residence of the organisation's founder, Prateek Jain, in connection with the coal smuggling case.
During the raid, Banerjee herself had reached Jain's residence and later alleged that central agencies were attempting to seize confidential election-related documents linked to the TMC's campaign.
The matter eventually reached the Supreme Court and remains under judicial consideration.
More recently, I-PAC co-founder and director Vinesh Chandel was arrested in New Delhi and is currently in ED custody. The arrest had triggered a sharp reaction from TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee, who described it as "not democracy, but intimidation".
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Road crash in UP leaves 10 dead
Lakhimpur Kheri (UP) (PTI): Ten people were killed when a van collided head-on with a truck on the Sisaiya-Lakhimpur national highway on Monday, police said.
The van was going to Sisaiya from Lakhimpur when the accident took place between Unchgaon and Bharehta villages.
Circle Officer of Dhaurahra, Shamsher Bahadur Singh, said all nine passengers travelling in the van and the driver were killed.
District Magistrate of Lakhimpur Kheri Anjani Kumar Singh told reporters that the van collided with a truck coming from the opposite direction, leading to nine casualties on the spot, while one succumbed to injuries at the district hospital.
Circle Officer, Dhaurahra, Shamsher Bahadur Singh told PTI, "Efforts are on to establish the identity of other deceased persons."
The seven of the deceased have been identified as Jaideep Singh (25), Pawan (23), Sohan (21), Ram Goyal (42), Sahajram (35), Pappu (18), all residents of Bahraich district and Adnan Khan (15), a resident of Lakhimpur Kheri district, police said.
Condoling the loss of lives in the accident, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath in a post on X, said, "The loss of life in the unfortunate road accident in Lakhimpur Kheri district is deeply distressing and heart-wrenching. My condolences are with the bereaved families."
"I have directed the local administration to provide prompt and adequate assistance to the injured and the victims. I pray to Lord Shri Ram to grant the departed souls a place at His divine feet and to bestow a speedy recovery upon the injured," Adityanath said on X.
Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya and Brajesh Pathak too condoled the loss of lives in the accident.
"The loss of lives resulting from the road accident in Lakhimpur Kheri district is deeply tragic and heart-wrenching. My deepest condolences go out to the bereaved families," Maurya said.
