Mamata Banerjee on Monday accused the BJP and defence minister Rajnath Singh of playing a “dirty political game” by misusing the army, after troops dismantled a stage set up by Trinamool at the Maidan to protest the saffron party’s “Bengali-phobia”.
The chief minister, however, underscored her love and respect for the armed forces and acknowledged that the army was not at fault here.
The stage, near the Gandhi statue on Mayo Road, was erected in July-end following Mamata’s call for protests from the Martyrs’ Day rally dais. The party had been demonstrating at the venue on weekends for a month.
“All of you can see that we started the Bhasha Andolon (Language Movement) here against the torture on Bengal and Bengalis… but they dismantled the stage. The army has done it. I have no anger whatsoever against the army…. We have the greatest love for them, we are proud of them. But they should have known that we were not blocking any roads, and our events here took place only during the weekends, for which we have permission,” she said from the partially dismantled dais.
Mamata arrived at the spot before the army could finish its job.
She announced protests in every block and ward at 2pm on Tuesday against the BJP’s alleged misuse of the army.
Mamata, however, decided to shift the protest site closer to the Dorina Crossing in Esplanade and make the Bhasha Andolon events a daily affair.
“The dharna will shift to Rani Rashmoni Road. Instead of weekends only, this will now happen every single day. We will make our stage in a place under the KMC (Kolkata Municipal Corporation),” she said.
Mamata Banerjee arrives after army personnel allegedly dismantled Trinamool’s stage erected beside the Gandhi statue in the Maidan area on Monday. PTI picture
The Trinamool chief has been relentlessly attacking the BJP for the last two months on its “Bengali phobia” and its alleged efforts to push the “NRC through the backdoor” via a special intensive revision of electoral rolls. She has said the SIR is a “conspiracy to disenfranchise” the poor and the marginalised, who she believes are unlikely to vote for the BJP.
“Around 200 army personnel started running away as I arrived. I asked ‘Why are you running, you are my friends.’ It is not your fault. You did it because of the BJP and the defence minister,” Mamata said on Monday.
“Undemocratic and unethical. The BJP wants to misuse the army for its own purposes —a sad message. They do not care about internal or border security. They only care about fighting Trinamool in Bengal,” Mamata added.
Senior Eastern Command officers said Mayo Road at the Maidan fell within the army’s jurisdiction and the organisers of any event in that part of Calcutta must take permission from the local military authority (LMA).
The officers said the army could grant permission for two-day events at the Maidan following the directions of the Supreme Court. Permission for events of longer duration needs to be obtained from the defence ministry, they added.
“Permission for the conduct of events was provided for two days. However, the stage has been put up for almost a month,” read a statement released by the defence ministry.
“Several reminders have been sent to the organisers for the removal of the temporary structure. However, it was not removed,” it added.
Officers of the Eastern Command said Kolkata Police were informed before the army dismantled the dais.
Senior Kolkata Police officers said there was no prior intimation about the LMA arriving at the Mayo Road venue on Monday afternoon to pull down the structure.
“We were taken by surprise when the team arrived at the venue and started removing banners before dismantling the structure,” said a senior police officer.
Mamata said her party had paid ₹20,000 as a security deposit for using the stage on the last weekend of August, asserting that her government did not demand any money from the armed forces for their events.
“I condemn the BJP for what they did. They are the nation’s shame…. They will not get the people’s support, and have turned all agencies into lollipops. What happens to impartiality if even the army gets misused?” she asked.
“If the atrocities continue against Bengali-speaking (Indians), we will do it (protest) every single day. How dare you say there is no Bengali language, or that (Indian) Bengalis are doubtful voters?” Mamata asked.
The BJP responded with scorn.
“She is declaring war against the army!” said Bengal BJP chief Samik Bhattacharya.
“This is an expression of fear of inevitable departure from power that refuses to remain suppressed in this regime’s dying moments,”he added.