What is I-PAC and how is it connected with Mamata’s TMC?

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Thursday (January 8) conducted searches at the office of political consultancy firm I-PAC and the home of its director Pratik Jain in Kolkata as part of a money laundering probe into an alleged multi-crore rupee coal pilferage scam.

The I-PAC's office in Salt Lake and Jain's house on Loudon Street are among about 10 premises, including four in Delhi, being raided by the federal probe agency in the presence of central paramilitary teams.

Also read: ED raids I-PAC's premises in Kolkata, Mamata alleges theft of TMC’s voter data

Jain, the co-founder and a director of the Indian Political Action Committee (I-PAC) and an IIT-Bombay alumnus, is being covered as there is “specific” evidence against him related to certain hawala transactions and cash deals emanating from the coal “scam" case in West Bengal, PTI reported citing sources.

Jain is also the head of the IT cell of the Trinamool Congress (TMC)), the ruling party in West Bengal.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee dramatically turned up at the residence of Jain amid the ongoing ED raid, alleging that the central agency was attempting to seize the TMC's internal documents, hard disks and sensitive data linked to its election strategy.

What is I-PAC?

I-PAC was founded by political strategist Prashant Kishor ahead of the 2014 Lok Sabha elections. It started as Citizens for Accountable Governance (CAG) in 2013.

Apart from Jain, Rishi Raj Singh (IIT Kanpur), and Vinesh Chandel (NLIU Bhopal) are I-PAC directors.

The consultancy firm worked with the TMC and the West Bengal government after the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

According to the firm’s website, I-PAC works with “visionary leaders with a proven track record”.

“The group helps them set a citizen-centric agenda and partners with them to conceptualize & implement the most effective methods of taking it to the public and gathering mass support,” it said.

“We have established ourselves as a pioneering platform of choice for professionals to enter the political sphere and meaningfully contribute to the space. We would like I-PAC to transform into an institution for young leaders to partake in grassroots politics and have a strengthening and positive impact on the democracy of our nation,” it added.

I-PAC's work for TMC

On its website, I-PAC mentions having worked with various states, including West Bengal, Delhi, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh.

The firm worked with the West Bengal government during the 2021 Assembly polls titled 'Didi-R 10 Ongikar'. Under ‘our impact’ tab, I-PAC also mentioned “Didir Sopoth – 2024” for the general election in Bengal.

I-PAC said it also worked for Bengal CM Mamata in 2024. “Through 8 targeted modules that directly engaged over 9 crore individuals, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee emerged as the voice of Bengal, propelling the TMC to a historic mandate with 29 out of 42 seats in the 2024 General Elections.”

I-PAC said it has brought some of the “best minds from diverse academic and professional backgrounds together” and provided them with a unique opportunity to become a part of the election process and influence policy-making in India.