A political slugfest erupted on Friday in the national Capital with its epicenter in Kolkatta when West Bengal Chief Minister cried foul over Army’s “routine exercise” in Bengal and Army dismissed the politics over it.
The Central Government expressed shock over attempts to politicise the Army’s “routine exercise” in West Bengal and said it was “coordinated by State Police”.
Trinamool Congress MPs raised the issue in the two Houses of Parliament seeing “sinister designs” behind the Army taking over toll plazas in the State.
The main Opposition Congress and the BSP too joined hands with the TMC seeking clarification on the Army deployment at 19 toll plazas in West Bengal. Uttar Paradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav also backed Mamata.
On her part, Mamata accused the Narendra Modi Government of making a “wrong and concocted” statement in Parliament regarding deployment of Army at toll plazas in West Bengal saying her voice could not be stifled by hatching conspiracy and showing force.
“They told Parliament that the State Government’s permission was taken. It is absolutely wrong and concocted,” she told reporters before leaving the State secretariat in Kolkatta after an overnight stay protesting against the presence of Army personnel.
Earlier in the day, the Army strongly rebutted the Chief Minister’s allegation that its personnel were deployed at the toll plazas without informing the State Government and were collecting money, saying the exercise was being carried out in coordination with Kolkata police.
“This is being done in coordination with local police authorities. The exercise was earlier planned for November 27 and 28. The dates were changed to November 30 to December 2 on a specific request by Kolkata police due to Bharat Bandh called on November 28,” said GOC Bengal area (officiating) Maj Gen Sunil Yadav.
“We deny all charges with all contempt,” he added.
In the lok Sabha, Defence Minister Manmohar Parrikar expressed “big shock” over the issue and termed the deployment as a “routine exercise not unique to West Bengal” and saying that similar operations to collect information on heavy vehicle movement that can be used during national emergencies had last month being conducted in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Jharkhand.
Similar exercise was carried out in Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Nagaland, Tripura, Meghalaya and Mizoram, Parrikar said while responding to TMC and Congress MPs.
He said last year the same exercise took place on November 19 to 21, 2015.
The Minister said originally the exercise was planned for November 28-30 but was shifted to December 1 and 2 at the request of Kolkata police as those dates were clashing with the protests against demonetisation.
“It is shocking that a Chief Minister is saying this. The Army’s deployment was part of routine exercise which has been going on for several years, which has been going on for last 15-20 years. Even last year it was held on November 19 to 21,” said Parrikar.
He said people have the highest faith for Army and the latter would now think “why they are being used for this purpose.”
“It was political frustration rather than projection of correct situation,” he said.
TMC leaders in both Houses of Parliament alleged that neither the State Government nor local administration, including police, was taken into confidence on the exercise.
As soon as the lok Sabha assembled for the day, TMC leader Sudip Bandyopadhyay raised the issue of Army deployment at 19 places in West Bengal, claiming that the move was a challenge to the federal structure of the country and completely politically motivated.
He said Army personnel were deployed at these places, including near the State secretariat, “without informing anyone in the State secretariat”. The TMC leader said Mamata has been staging a ‘dharna’ in the Secretariat demanding withdrawal of the Army.
The Congress and the BSP too wanted to know from the Government how such an unprecedented move to carry out an Army exercise without taking the State Government into confidence was done.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ananth Kumar asked the TMC not to drag Army into politics saying Defence personnel have been protecting the country as well as democracy. “Whatever the Army has done was part of a routine exercise. It is completely wrong to drag Army into politics,” he said.
Raising the issue in the Rajya Sabha, leader of Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad said the Army is India’s pride as it has upheld its unity and integrity besides protecting the borders.
But in West Bengal, the Chief Secretary, administration and DG Police had no information of Army taking over toll plazas at 19 locations in the State, he said.
“This is probably the first time that the Chief Minister of West Bengal has lodged this kind of protest where she stayed put for the night in the State Secretariat and is still there,” he said.
“This is a strange thing happening. Without asking the State Government, the chief secretary or the DGP, toll plazas of State Government are taken over,” he added.
Sukhendu Sekhar Roy (TMC) said what happened in West Bengal has never been witnessed in the State’s history.