Two senior ministers of the West Bengal cabinet - Firhad Hakim and Snehasish Chakraborty - said that the raids conducted by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) are the union government's ploy to destroy the state's economy. The central agency on Saturday raided the residence of Kolkata-based businessman Nasir Khan and his son Amir Khan.
The state commerce and industries minister and the Kolkata mayor, Firhad Hakim said the continuous raids and search operations by the central agencies are BJP's ploy to show West Bengal in a bad light and throw a negative image about West Bengal to potential investors. "Often, we hear of income tax raids at the residences of businessmen in Kolkata. But those raids do not result in any recovery," he added.
State transport minister Snehasish Chakraborty said that the excessive use of ED and CBI by the Union government with a political intention is destroying the credibility of these central agencies. "Central agencies should be used diligently."
ED recovered Rs 8 crore from Nasir Khan's residence at Shahi Astabal Lane in the Garden Reach area. At the time ministers made the comment, notes were still being counted. Opposition party leaders ridiculed the ministers for their comments.
CPI(M) central committee member, Sujan Chakraborty, said that ill-gotten and illegally earned money is everywhere in West Bengal. "Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is running a regime of forgery here."
State Congress president, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, said that unaccounted money can be traced from the residences of all Trinamool Congress leaders. "We witnessed a similar thing in the case of teachers' recruitment scam in the state. I do not know what the chief minister will say now."