A furious Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday lambasted Centre for “unwarranted deployment of Army” in parts of Kolkata and its outskirts “without informing the State Government” and called the Central exercise a “prelude to imposing Emergency after slapping financial emergency through demonetisation.”
Military police was earlier deployed at various toll plazas off State Secretariat Nabanna, Palsit, Dankuni on the Delhi Road, sources said. When contacted Eastern Command sources said it was a routine exercise whereby the Army personnel were recording the details of the trucks passing in and out of Kolkata for future references during any emergency situation.
“Such exercises are routine and normal,” sources said, the respective DMs had been informed about the development.
However the Chief Minister said Army had been deployed at various parts of the State.
“We have received information a few hours before. The Centre has deployed Army on the National Highway. The State Government has not been informed about this deployment. This is a clear violation of the rules and understating between the Centre and the State.
“When Army is deployed without informing a democratically elected Government it is clear violation of democratic norms and amounts to breaking of federal structure. We will take it up with the Centre,” she said adding she would leave Nabanna till the Army left the positions.
“People are extremely annoyed as the Army is civilian vehicles,” she maintained. “It seems that the Centre is trying to create a civil war-like situation.”