AFP, NEW DELHI
An Indian opposition party yesterday accused federal investigators of a “politically motivated” attack after US$46 million was frozen in its bank accounts as part of a money-laundering probe.Critics and rights groups have accused Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government of using law enforcement agencies to target its political foes.India’s top financial crimes agency, the Enforcement Directorate, on Wednesday said that it was investigating alleged illegal transactions involving the Trinamool Congress (TMC), which governed West Bengal state for 15 years before Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) upstaged it in May.
Trinamool Congress party leader and former West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee, center, right, holds hands with other women at a protest in Kolkata, India, on June 17.
The agency said that US$16.8 million was transferred from TMC-linked bank accounts to an aviation firm and associated companies between April 2023 and last month.Investigators said that the funds were used to purchase a private jet and a helicopter that were subsequently leased back to the party.
The TMC has denied any wrongdoing, saying all funds had been “fully and transparently disclosed” to authorities.“The Enforcement Directorate’s decision to freeze the party’s bank accounts is a politically motivated act. We strongly condemn this arbitrary and illegal action,” it said in a statement on Wednesday. “The misuse of investigative agencies to target political opponents has become a hallmark of the BJP’s politics, and represents a serious assault on democratic institutions and the principles of a level playing field.”Several Indian opposition leaders have faced criminal investigations in the past few years, including Arvind Kejriwal, the former chief minister of Delhi.Kejriwal spent months in jail in 2024 after being arrested over allegations that his administration received kickbacks in the allocation of liquor licenses. He has denied any wrongdoing.Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren, another opposition leader, was also arrested and jailed in 2024 on corruption charges that he has denied.The BJP has said that corruption cases are pursued independently and in accordance with the law.
