Page 46 - 28FEB2019E

In Centre versus West

Bengal face off, both claim

moral victory, but lose face

The Supreme Court verdict de-escalated political tensions in West the National Conference rushed to
support Mamata Banerjee. Alas, public
Bengal where Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had found herself memory is short. But not short enough
on a collision course with the Centre after an unprecedented tiff to ignore this incident that united the
between the CBI and State Police, reports aditi chahar entire opposition. Mamata Banerjee
called it a “total constitutional break-
down”. “How dare you come to a police
t least for now, the confron- CBI officials, came to question Kolkata commissioner’s home without a war-
tation that was building up police chief Rajeev Kumar on two Ponzi rant?” she questioned. She said that
between firebrand Chief schemes. The CBI officials were tem- “This is a Satyagraha and I’ll continue
Minister, Mamata Baner- porarily detained by the West Bengal till the country is saved.” She spent the
A jee and Centre has diffused police. night at the designated spot for pro-
with the intervention of the Apex Court A furious Ms Banerjee started an tests in central Kolkata, accompanied
and Police Commissioner, Rajiv Kumar overnight dharna to “save the constitu- by city police chief Rajeev Kumar skip-
joining investigations at a neutral place. tion” prompting the BJP leaders to call ping meals and remained awake the
The decision allowed both sides in the entire night. She went on quip “We have
face-off to claim “moral victory.” The full confidence in the judiciary, media,
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata The row erupted and the people... If they want to impose
Banerjee has climbed down from the when about three President’s Rule, we are ready for it.”
aggressive posture she took in deny- The roots of confrontation lay in
ing the Central Bureau of Investigation dozen officers of the probe into the Saradha and Rose Val-
room to question Kolkata Police Com- ley Ponzi schemes that were probed
missioner Rajeev Kumar. She has ended CBI went to confront by Rajiv Kumar. There were allegations
her sit in “dharna” rarely resorted by a Kolkata police chief that several documents went missing
sitting chief minister. later. Rajiv Kumar was summoned for
The Supreme Court while ordering but were refused questioning. The court had restrained
Rajiv Kumar, the Kolkata Police Com- entry by police guards the CBI from arresting Kumar and
missioner to cooperate with the CBI in asked Kumar to cooperate with the
“neutral” Shillong, has at the same time posted there and the agency in its agency. This was after an
restrained the CBI from taking any co- team was taken to a unprecedented showdown between
ercive action against the police chief. the CBI and West Bengal Chief Minis-
The face-off between the Centre local police station ter Mamata Banerjee, who prevented a
and the Mamata Banerjee government CBI team from interrogating Kumar in
took place on February 3, 2019, at a time Kolkata. Trinamool Congress’s Megha-
when the Lok Sabha elections are al- for President’s Rule in West Bengal. laya coordinator and Rajeev Kumar’s
most a couple of months away. When The opposition leaders rallied around counsel Biswajit Deb said he is “coop-
the Supreme Court is already monitor- Mamata Banerjee. In one fell swoop, erating and complying” with the CBI.
ing the CBI probe into the issues, where the action led to opposition unity and Kumar’s role is under the CBI’s scanner
was the need for such confrontation? put Mamata Banerjee at the heart of because he was heading the special in-
It so happened that West Bengal the opposition. Was this a self-goal by vestigation team (SIT) that was formed
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee found Centre or a victory? The question will by the West Bengal government to in-
herself on a collision course with the be debated for times to come. t was ad- vestigate the Saradha and Rose Valley
centre after a huge showdown be- vantage Banerjee as the Congress, AAP, Chit Fund scams. The investigation was
tween the state police the CBI when the Samajwadi Party, BSP, NCP, and even later handed over to the CBI. The CBI al-

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