Union information and broadcasting minister Anurag Thakur, in the state capital on Saturday, said the law and order in Bengal has reached a point that even Enforcement Directorate officials face attack when they go to investigate cases of corruption.

Thakur also questioned whether chief minister Mamata Banerjee had any control left over her party, the Trinamul Congress, any more.

“The law and order situation in Bengal has completely collapsed. There is a systematic arrangement to embezzle public money meant for welfare. The situation has reached a point where ED officials are pelted with stones and assaulted during investigation into corruption cases. Taking action against corruption means that goons and ruling party workers will launch attacks on those investigators. Such incidents which do not happen in any part of the country, happen in Bengal,” Thakur said while speaking to reporters at the airport here.

Thakur was referring to the January 5 incident at Sandeshkhali in North 24-Parganas, where an ED team was attacked when it went to carry out a raid on the house of Trinamul leader Sheikh Shahjahan. While a mob attacked the CRPF jawans and ED officers, their cars were also vandalised and the central team was forced to flee from the spot.

The Bengal unit of the BJP, including the party’s leaders from Delhi, has already made the incident an issue to corner the ruling Trinamul ahead of the Lok Sabha polls.

Thakur’s comment on the issue, a source said, indicated that the saffron camp would use the attack on the ED during its campaign in the run-up to the general election.

The BJP leadership has been continuing its attacks on the ruling Trinamul and Mamata Banerjee’s police as the prime accused in the case Shahjahan remains absconding since the Sandeshkhali incident.

Thakur also raised questions about Mamata’s control over party leaders and ministers while mounting an attack over their alleged involvement in cases of corruption.

“Why has the Bengal government been providing shelter to the corrupt when the investigators go to take account of public money? Has chief minister Mamata Banerjee lost control over her ministers, MLAs and MPs or has she left them free to conduct the loot? Are the people (Trinamul leaders) not listening to her?” Thakur asked.

Trinamul, in turn, came down heavily on Thakur for his comments and referred to his earlier controversial “Goli maro....” comments.

“Look who is talking about law and order here. The Union minister Anurag Thakur has said that there is no law and order in Bengal. He is the one who spewed his hate speeches saying, ‘Goli maro.... Desh ke gaddaron ko’. Those who should be behind bars, unfortunately, are talking about the law and the situation in our state,” said veteran Trinamul leader and minister Sashi Panja.