SHILLONG: Former Chief Minister and senior Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Dr. Mukul Sangma has strongly condemned the Enforcement Directorate (ED) raids on iPAC, terming them a direct assault on the opposition and a calculated political move by the Central Government.
Calling the timing of the raids “highly suspicious,” Dr. Sangma alleged that the action is aimed at weakening opposition parties and compromising their electoral preparedness ahead of crucial elections, particularly in West Bengal.
Questioning the intent behind the raids, Dr. Sangma said that if there were genuine financial irregularities involving iPAC, the ED could have acted at any point in time. Conducting raids on the eve of key elections, he argued, exposes the political motive behind the move.
“iPAC is a warehouse of election strategies,” Dr. Sangma said. “Raiding them at this stage raises serious suspicions that the real objective is to access confidential opposition strategies and hand them over to the ruling BJP. This is about crippling the opposition’s ability to compete.”
He accused the Centre of systematically weaponising investigative agencies to intimidate political rivals and tilt the electoral playing field in favour of the ruling party.
Addressing concerns about the impact of the raids on his party, Dr. Sangma clarified that the TMC Meghalaya unit no longer relies on external political consultancy firms.
He revealed that following the 2023 Assembly elections, the state unit consciously decided to disengage from firms such as iPAC and adopt a more grassroots-driven political approach.
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Grassroots First: The party is now prioritising its own workers and organisational strength.
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Cadre Training: Emphasis is being laid on equipping party cadres to understand and articulate state-specific issues directly to voters.
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Local Insight: Dr. Sangma maintained that grassroots workers possess a far deeper and more authentic understanding of public sentiment than any external agency.
The Leader of Opposition warned that the repeated targeting of opposition-linked entities through central agencies poses a serious threat to democratic norms.
“When investigative agencies are unleashed just before elections, it is an attack on the very foundation of free and fair polls,” he said. Dr. Sangma cautioned that sustained misuse of institutions could erode public faith in democracy itself.
“If there are allegations against iPAC, let them be investigated. But the timing makes it abundantly clear that this is a deliberate attempt to disrupt the opposition’s workflow,” he concluded.
