Mamata Banerjee on Friday cited the right to self-defence to justify her actions from the day before when she barged in during Enforcement Directorate raids on I-PAC, her party’s poll strategist, and walked away with “sensitive” documents.

The BJP was misusing the central agency to grab key electoral information on the pretext of probing a coal pilferage case, and she had the right to act, the chief minister argued.

She claimed she possessed evidence that BJP leaders from Union home minister Amit Shah to the leader of the Bengal Opposition, Suvendu Adhikari, benefited from the coal scam and threatened to reveal all if targeted further.

“I went (to the buildings being raided) as (chairperson) of the All India Trinamool Congress; I did not do anything wrong. I simply was protecting myself,” Mamata said, speaking at the end of her protest march from the Jadavpur 8B Bus Stand to the Hazra Crossing, which drew tens of thousands of people.

“Ami kono onyay korini! Tumi amay khoon kortey esheychho, amar atmorokkhar odhikar achhey (I did nothing wrong! You have come to murder me, I have the right to defend myself),” she said.

“Why had you come like a thief? You were stealing, starting at 6am.… I went at 11.45am. Next destination, Election Commission... after this, Delhi!”

Mamata said she would lead a movement in Delhi against the “criminally faulty” special intensive revision (SIR) by the poll panel, which she has accused of trying to disenfranchise her voters at the BJP’s behest.

Trinamool has already moved the Supreme Court against the way the SIR is being conducted in poll-bound Bengal.

Mamata reminded the BJP that she was a lot more dangerous as a “wounded tigress”.

“If somebody tries to instigate me, consider it a rebirth for me,” she said.

The ED was raiding I-PAC’s Sector V office and the Loudon Street home of the political consultancy’s director, Pratik Jain, when Mamata entered both buildings along with senior police officers and took away “digital devices and documents”, according tothe agency.

On Friday, the chief minister emphasised how I-PAC had once worked for Narendra Modi and been instrumental in his rise to Prime Minister in 2014. She, however, underscored that the face of the organisation at the time was Prashant Kishor, who had now left it.

Mamata said that BJP leaders from Shah to Suvendu should know that she possessed pen drives with data that could open a Pandora’s box.

“We could have done many things. Who benefits from the coal (pilferage) money? Amit Shah does, the (Union) home minister!” she said.

“How does he do so? The money goes through a line of traitors.... There is a Jagannath... a big robber of the BJP,” she added, apparently alluding to Jagannath Chattopadhyay, a state BJP vice-president.

“The money goes through Jagannath, through Suvendu Adhikari... right up to Amit Shah. Listen, you are lucky I am not bringing those pen drives out, simply because I occupy a chair. If you keep rubbing me the wrong way, I will open the treasure trove.”

The BJP alleges that Mamata’s nephew and heir apparent Abhishek Banerjee is involved in the coal-theft racket.

On Thursday, Suvendu had claimed that a central agency raid on Mamata’s 30B Harish Chatterjee Street residence would unearth at least ₹100 crore.

“Remember, there is a limit to courtesy. If you cross the seema of Lakshman, you will not be able to control the fallout anymore,” the chief minister threatened.

“I know many things. I (refrain from saying) them only in the interests of the country. If I open my mouth, there will be uproar everywhere. But I don’t, because I love the country, and this is not a weakness.”

Mamata accused the BJP of “illegitimately” capturing states such as Haryana, Bihar, Maharashtra and Delhi, and setting its sights on Bengal.

“At the sound of ‘Bengal’, they go into attack mode,”she said.

“I had never seen such a party. No shame... jumla party, tyrant party, a party of debauchery,” she added, urging people to “ring their death knell”.

I-PAC statement

A statement from I-PAC said the company had been founded over a decade ago with the belief that Indian public life was strengthened when young Indians brought their energy, integrity and professionalism to the democratic process in a non-partisan way. It underscored its past associations with the BJP, Congress, JDU andthe Shiv Sena.

“We do not contest elections or hold political office. Our role is limited to transparent and professional political consulting, uninfluenced by differences in political ideology,” the statement said.

“Yesterday, officials from the Enforcement Directorate carried out searches at the I-PAC office and at the residence of our Director, Pratik Jain, in Kolkata. It was a difficult and unfortunate day for a professional organisation like I-PAC.

“We believe this raises serious concerns and sets an unsettling precedent. Regardless, we have extended full cooperation and will continue to do so as required, engaging with the process in complete accordance and respect for the law.

“Despite what transpired yesterday, we remain fully committed to continuing our work unfazed and unperturbed, with consistency and accountability guided by the same purpose that has shaped us from the start.”

Legal notice

Suvendu Adhikari, the leader of the Opposition, on Friday sent a legal notice to Mamata Banerjee, asking her to provide all “purported evidence” within 72 hours for her allegation that he was linked to an “alleged” coal scam, along with Amit Shah.

If Mamata fails to do so, Adhikari said, he will pursue appropriate civil and criminal actions for defamationagainst her.