Kolkata/IBNS: West Bengal Foreign Minister Jyotipriya Mallick was on Friday morning arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in connection with an alleged scam in the state's ration distribution when he helmed the food ministry, media reports said.

Mallick, a long term associate of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, was arrested at 3:23 am following a quizzing for over 20 hours.

The Trinamool Congress leader was taken by the probe agency officials to the ED office at CGO Complex in Salt Lake.

Upon being arrested, Mallick told reporters, "I am a victim of grave conspiracy."

The central probe agency had raided eight locations including the Salt Lake residence of Mallick in connection with the scam, which allegedly took place when the TMC leader was the food minister.

The raids began at least in eight places at around 6:30 am on Thursday following inputs after the arrest of businessman Bakibur Rahaman, who allegedly has a link with the minister. sources added.

The raids are being conducted following the alleged irregularities in ration distributions during the pandemic period when Mallick was the state food supplies minister.

The ED, which is probing the money trails of the alleged irregularities in the statutory ration distribution system, has information that the arrested businessman Bakibur Rahaman has huge businesses in Bengal, Mumbai, and even in Dubai worth nearly 100 crores of rupees.

Sources also claimed Bakibur had rapport with Mallick when the latter was the state food supplies minister in the previous Mamata Banerjee government.

After the win in the 2021 assembly poll, Mallick was shifted to the Department of Forest Affairs and Non-Conventional and Renewable Energy sources.

Mallick represents the Habra assembly segment in the North 24 Parganas.

The ED had raided the residence of current state food minister Rathin Ghosh, also in North 24 Parganas.

Mamata Banerjee takes a swipe at BJP

Addressing the media, Chief Minister and TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee on Thursday took a swipe at the country' ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) over the raids.

Mamata described the ED raids at state minister Jyotipriya Mallick's house as the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)'s "abuse of power to muzzle any opposition to their authoritarian rule".

Addressing the media, Banerjee said, "ED raid at Jyotipriya Mallick's house proves BJP's abuse of power to muzzle any opposition to their authoritarian rule."

"Ever asked your supremo's poster boy (Assam Chief Minister) Himanta Biswa Sarma about the Assam PPE kit scam? " she asked.