Even as Mamata Banerjee chalked out plans on Sunday to take the BJP head on in the wake of the arrest of her trusted aide and Transport Minister Madan Mitra in the Saradha chit fund scam, her supporters continued to play havoc on the streets, blocking traffic and burning Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s effigies.
Mamata, who met her senior party colleagues on Sunday, has chalked out plans to browbeat the CBI probing the chit fund case and goad the Centre into taking some precipitous action that could give her “political martyrdom”.
Meanwhile, the Kolkata chapter of the CBI was likely to send a report to Delhi on Monday expressing concern about its officers’ safety in the State.A report in this regard was also expected to be submitted to the Union Home Ministry.
“The top CBI administration in Delhi was concerned about the security of its officers posted in Kolkata and a report has been sought from the Kolkata office in this regard,” sources said.
Mamata, who is facing the worst political crisis of her career, met her top party leaders on Sunday and decided to up the ante against Modi and BJP president Amit Shah even as her followers blocked national highways and rail traffic, burnt effigies of Modi and Shah. Pro-Mamata cine and sports lobbies also chalked out plans to hold relay hunger strikes and organise processions.
In the crucial meeting held at Banerjee’s Kalighat residence and attended by Education Minister Partho Chaterjee, Finance Minister Amit Mitra, Panchayat Minister Subroto Mukherjee, Urban Development Minister Firhad Hakim apart from Kolkata Mayor Sovan Chatterjee the Chief Minister chalked out future “plans to expose the Modi Government.”
As a part of it the Trinamool would organise rallies in Kolkata bringing into play Sahara India chief Subrata Roy’s alleged Red Dairy and certain photographs where Roy and Modi were reportedly seen together, sources said adding “the fight has just begun and Didi will show why she is called a fighter.”
The decision came on a day when thousands of her followers blocked roads and rail traffic throughout South Bengal. They blocked GT Road, NH 60 and 2 near Bankura, Durgapur and Asansol, stopped trains for hours in south suburban section of Kolkata demanding immediate release of Mitra.
“Our agitation will continue in a democratic manner against the arm-twisting tactic of BJP without disturbing the people of the State,” said Partho Chatteree even as former Supreme Court Judge Ashok Ganguly said on Sunday that the obstruction of judicial proceedings in court while Mitra was being heard on Saturday merited suo motu action from Calcutta High Court.
Retired High Court Judge Bhagwati Banerjee also said “Trinamool’s obstruction of court proceedings and ongoing violence makes for a good ground for the CBI to seek transfer of the case to some other State which will make things all the more difficult for the ruling party.”