I-PAC office raids, Mamata's allegations spurs parallel with the US' Watergate episode

New Delhi, Jan 9 Since the Watergate scandal of the 1970s that rocked the US, there has been a tendency to name perceived wrongdoings with the suffix "gate", thus, it did not take much time in branding the narrative of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee reportedly entering premises under a probe agency's raid and personally retrieving documents as "I-PAC-gate".

This was in connection with the Enforcement Directorate's (ED) Thursday raids at the political consultancy agency, Indian Political Action Committee (I-PAC) in Kolkata.

Along with several other national political parties, the Trinamool Congress, too, avails the firm's services.

The raids were part of investigations into alleged financial irregularities linked to the I-PAC, where ED officials reportedly seized documents and digital records during the operation, citing concerns about money laundering and fund misuse.

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee was seen entering the ED premises even as the raid was on, where she was reported to have retrieved physical and digital records herself, against norms and rules, and unusual for a sitting Chief Minister.

Soon, some media reportage framed it as "I-PAC-gate", drawing parallels to the 1972 burglary and planting of bugs at the Democratic National Committee headquarters at the Watergate complex in Washington, DC.

Several recent scandals in India and abroad have been popularly renamed with the suffix.

Among such examples in India are "Coalgate" (coal block allocation scam), "Vyapam-gate" (Madhya Pradesh recruitment scam), and "Choppergate" (Agusta Westland helicopter deal), among others.

Global controversies like "Dieselgate" (Volkswagen emissions scandal) and "Bridgegate" (New Jersey traffic scandal) have also kept the suffix alive.

The Watergate break-in was carried out by operatives linked to President Richard Nixon's re-election campaign, who attempted to wiretap phones and steal documents.

Though the Nixon administration engaged in a cover-up to obstruct investigations, investigative journalism -- notably by The Washington Post -- exposed the scandal.

Journalists Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein went on to become heroes, who ran a series of expose for the Washington Post, guided by a whistleblower, then known only as "Deep Throat".

This exposed a White House political espionage programme that was illegally funded from donor contributions.

Nixon denied involvement, his administration destroyed evidence, obstructed investigators, and bribed the burglars who had broken in.

The exercise initially worked, with Nixon going in to win a poll.

However, the burglars revealing all in the 1973 trial led to a US Senate investigation.

This led to multiple indictments and convictions of Nixon's aides, with the President himself resigning in August 1974 to avoid impeachment.

The episode was seen as serious abuse of Presidential power and a turning point in US political accountability.

There are no real parallels between the two incidents whereas in Kolkata, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee personally retrieved documents during an ED raid while operatives broke into the Opposition's headquarters in Washington DC to steal documents.

In the recent case, it was the action of a Chief Minister vs. a federal agency, whereas in the incident half-a-century ago, it was the President's campaign operatives vs. the Opposition party.

The intent in Kolkata is claimed to be as defence of party interests, with critics alleging obstruction in investigations, while that in Washington, DC, was clearly espionage and sabotage of political opponents.

Public perception in the later case is reportedly divided, with Mamata Banerjee's supporters obviously claiming bold defiance and critics terming it obstruction.

In the Watergate issue, it was overwhelmingly condemned as abuse of power.

A legal case has been initiated by both the parties involved in Thursday's unusual episode, where the outcome will determine the future course of action.

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