The Enforcement Directorate on Friday raided the homes of West Bengal Fire and Emergency Services Minister Sujit Bose, Trinamool Congress MLA Tapas Roy and former chairman of North Dum Dum Municipality Subodh Chakraborty, reported PTI.

The raids were carried out in connection with the alleged irregularities in recruitments made by civic bodies in West Bengal.

Central investigating agencies have alleged that about 1,500 people were illegally recruited, in exchange for money, by various civic bodies in the state between 2014 and 2018. In August, the Calcutta High Court directed the Central Bureau of Investigation to investigate the matter.

On Friday morning, Enforcement Directorate officials accompanied by central forces raided two residences of Bose in the Sreebhumi area, reported The Indian Express. A team also conducted raids at Roy’s apartment and office in Bowbazar while another team searched Chakraborty’s residence.

Roy is the Trinamool Congress deputy chief whip in the state Assembly and an MLA from Baranagar, one of the municipalities in the central agency’s crosshairs.

Following the raids, state Minister for Women and Child Development Sashi Panja said that the Bharatiya Janata Party-led Central government was engaging in vendetta politics.

“Once again ED is conducting raids here,” said Panja. “This is happening through a script prepared by the BJP. The BJP cannot fight us politically. That is why they have given a list of our leaders to central agencies and asked them to harass the leaders.”

In October, the residences of Trinamool Congress leaders Firhad Hakim and Madan Mitra were searched by the Central Bureau of Investigation in connection with the recruitment scam.

Hakim is the minister of Urban Development and Municipal Affairs as well as the mayor of Kolkata. Mitra is a former minister and currently the MLA from Kamarhati in North 24 Parganas district.

Friday’s development also comes a week after an Enforcement Directorate team was assaulted in the Sandeshkhali village of the North 24 Parganas district when it was conducting raids in connection with an alleged ration distribution scam.

A mob had allegedly attacked the officials with stones, bricks and batons after they arrived at the home of Trinamool Congress leader Shahjahan Sheikh.