Rajeev Kumar never joined the sit-in, Centre’s claims a lie: Mamata

Kolkata | West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday launched a scathing attack at the Centre for asking the state government to initiate disciplinary proceedings against Kolkata Police commissioner Rajeev Kumar for participating in the sit-in here and claimed that the officer “never joined” her on the dais.

Accusing Prime Minister Narendra Modi of trying to control “even the state-run agencies”, she demanded that Modi should resign from the PM’s chair and go back to the role of Gujrat Chief Minister if people re-elect him.

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“He never joined, never joined, never joined. All the media from state, national and international level, have any of you seen him on the dais? Then why is the Centre so scared about a police officer? Why are they behaving like Rajeev Kumar is their nightmare?” Banerjee said, adding the Centre’s allegation is a “blatant lie”.

“It is a political vendetta. They want to control all the agencies including the state agencies. Then the Prime Minister should resign from Delhi and go back Gujrat if people elect him,” she said.

The Trinamool Congress supremo mocked the saffron outfit saying she feels that Kumar could be a “good Prime Ministerial candidate” for BJP as they are giving so much importance to a police officer.

“Please remember that the duty of the police officer is to accompany the Chief Minister, the Prime Minister, the Governor or President to give them protection. It is the law,” she said.

“I am the chief minister and I am sitting here. Can’t they even talk to me downstairs? There is a special room behind the ‘dharna-manch’ (dais). Even we conducted the cabinet meeting there yesterday. Go and see this,” she told the media persons present at the venue.

Terming the BJP-government at the Centre as a “one man government”, Banerjee said the current regime should be ousted from power as they do not believe in democracy.

“Do you have to monitor the state administration, law and order, agriculture, education? You want to monitor everything? Then it is one-man government going on, a one-party government going on. There is no need for democracy,” she said.

Banerjee said the BJP government at the Centre has become so desperate to retain power that they cannot bear any other political parties, media, even the IPS officers or the state officials who are not with them.

“Will Modi stay alone and all will go out of the country? Only he is the swadeshi (patriot) and the rest are foreigners. I think we need to oust the Modi government,” she said.

“We want the atrocities to be stopped. If there are anymore atrocities, we will fight together. We will not allow this. We will only allow the constitutional and legal provisions,” Banerjee added.

Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) sources on Tuesday said a letter has been written to the West Bengal Chief Secretary to initiate action against the 1989-batch IPS officer citing “indiscipline, and violation of All India Services rules by the officer”.

Published on : Feb 5, 2019 at 21:41 IST

IANS