Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad slammed Mamata Banerjee Monday, 4 February, a day after the West Bengal Chief Minister began protesting over the latest controversy that erupted after a CBI team tried to question the Kolkata Police commissioner.
The law minister also questioned why a police chief was sitting on a dharna with politicians. “What is the meaning of this? By sitting on dharna, West Bengal CM is following the footsteps of Arvind Kejriwal,” Prasad said at the press conference.
This came after an all-out war broke out between the Centre and the Mamata Banerjee government on Sunday, 3 February, with the West Bengal leader beginning a sit-in protest at a city landmark over the CBI's attempt to question the Kolkata Police chief in connection with chit fund scams.
With various political leaders voicing their support for the West Bengal CM, the law minister also slammed the alliance of Opposition parties, saying the Gathbandhan is not only an “opportunistic alliance,” but also “a coalition of the corrupt."
On the Trinamool Congress’ allegation that the CBI team had no search warrant before reaching Kolkata Police Commissioner'’s s residence, Prasad pointed out that Rajeev Kumar had been summoned by the CBI three times earlier.
“In 2014, the Congress tweeted Rahul Gandhi’s statement that 20 lakh people lost their money in chit fund scam in West Bengal. We took oath on 26 May 2014, so all these inquiries in Narada and Saradha scams started before us,” he said.
Banerjee, meanwhile, has alleged that the BJP-led central government was trying to stifle the spirit of the “Constitution and federalism.”
‘What is She Trying to Hide?’
Union Minister and senior BJP leader Prakash Javadekar also questioned Banerjee's sit-in protest on Monday, asking whether she wanted to save herself or the top cop.
"We want to ask who Mamata wants to save. Why is she holding a dharna (sit-in)? Does she want to save the police commissioner or herself? What is she trying to hide," Javadekar asked while addressing a press conference in Kolkata.
Deftly side-stepping queries on the face-off between the West Bengal government and the Centre, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar said on Monday that "anything" can happen in the country until the Lok Sabha elections are announced.
The BJP ally, however, firmly ruled out the possibility of the Modi government making an attempt to dislodge Banerjee from power in view of the crisis.
Kumar pointed out that in the past, “Congress governments at the Centre used to clamp President’s Rule at will,” now there were clear guidelines laid down by the Supreme Court.
Opposition Leaders Express Solidarity With Mamata
Congress President Rahul Gandhi and several other Opposition leaders have extended their full support to Banerjee.
The ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD) and the Opposition Congress in Odisha also backed Banerjee over the alleged misuse of the CBI by the Centre and claimed that the federal probe agency was being "used as a political weapon" ahead of general elections.
The BJD, in a statement, said, "Institutional integrity of the CBI has to be restored. We are a mature democracy and professionalism should be maintained."
(With inputs from PTI and IANS)
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