In a blistering attack on West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, BJP leader Babu Lal Marandi has accused her of direct interference in an Enforcement Directorate (ED) raid, hinting at deeper conspiracies with his now-viral remark, ‘There’s something black in the dal.’
The controversy erupted during a high-stakes ED operation targeting alleged financial irregularities linked to the Trinamool Congress (TMC) regime. Eyewitnesses and party insiders claim Banerjee personally intervened, summoning ED officials to her residence and pressuring them to halt the searches. Marandi, a seasoned Jharkhand politician and vocal critic of the TMC, seized the moment to expose what he calls a blatant abuse of power.
‘Somewhere in the dal, there’s black,’ Marandi declared at a press conference in Ranchi, invoking the popular Hindi idiom to suggest hidden corruption. He detailed how Banerjee’s sudden involvement derailed the probe, allowing key suspects to potentially tamper with evidence. This isn’t the first time the TMC supremo has been accused of shielding her close aides from central agency scrutiny.
Marandi didn’t stop there. He linked the incident to a broader pattern of TMC’s alleged money laundering and coal scam involvements, demanding a thorough investigation by the CBI and ED without political interference. ‘The people of Bengal deserve transparency, not cover-ups,’ he asserted, rallying BJP workers to amplify the issue ahead of upcoming elections.
Political analysts see this as a strategic move by the BJP to corner Banerjee, whose party has faced multiple ED summons in recent months. As opposition voices grow louder, the question remains: Will Banerjee’s intervention backfire, or is it just another chapter in India’s polarized political saga?
With the ED likely to file a detailed report, all eyes are on how this unfolds. Marandi’s sharp rhetoric has already ignited social media debates, underscoring the simmering tensions between the Centre and the states ruled by opposition parties.