Mamata spends entire night in office despite Army's removal from toll plaza
Kolkata: After a high drama over "deployment of army" at certain toll plazas in West Bengal, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee decided to stay put at the state secretariat 'Nabanna' for the night, even after the force was removed from a toll plaza near it as per her demand.
"I am the custodian of common people. So I can't leave them insecure. I will stay put here for the whole night and observe the situation," Banerjee told reporters at around 1.30 am.
She stayed put in her office the entire night, said reports.
About her demand that she would leave the office only when Armymen were removed from the second Hooghly bridge toll plaza near Nabanna, she said, "These people may have gone. But they are there in 18 other districts."
Sometime before her press meet, journalists went to the toll plaza near Nabanna and found that the Armymen were no longer there.
A temporary shed set up for them was also removed. There was no official version of the Army about the removal.
Accusing the Centre of deploying the Army at toll plazas in West Bengal without informing the state government, Banerjee had refused to leave the office till the Armymen were withdrawn from the toll plaza at second Hooghly bridge.
The Army said they were conducting routine exercise with full knowledge and coordination with West Bengal police.
"Army conducting routine exercise with full knowledge & coord with WB Police. Speculation of army taking over toll plaza incorrect," the Eastern command said on Twitter. "Routine exercise in all NE states. In Assam@18 places, Arunanchal@13, WB@19, Manipur@6, Nagaland@5, Meghalaya@5, Tripura & Mizoram@1", it said.
The Kolkata police, however, said they have raised objection to this Army exercise due to security reasons and traffic problem.
"Army exercise at toll plaza was objected to in writing by Kolkata Police, citing security reasons & traffic inconvenience," the city police said on Twitter.
The drama unfolded in the evening when Banerjee alleged that Army deployment was done in toll plazas without informing the state government and described it as "unprecedented" and "a very serious situation worse than Emergency".
She claimed that people got panicky due to deployment of Army at toll plazas.
The delayed landing of Banerjee's flight in Kolkata irked the Trinamool Congress on Thursday which alleged that it was a conspiracy and a threat to her life even as in a late night development, the West Bengal firebrand stayed put at the state secretariat, saying she would not leave until the Army was withdrawn from the toll plaza in front of it.
Banerjee accused the Centre of creating a situation "worse than Emergency" by deploying army personnel at two toll plazas - at Palsit and Dankuni on national highway 2 - without informing her government.
The Trinamool had earlier on Thursday, brought Parliament proceedings to a halt with loud protests in both Houses even as the Centre denied any conspiracy and said that aviation regulator DGCA had already ordered an inquiry.
The DGCA played down the move, saying that as many as three flights, including one carrying the West Bengal CM, had reported low fuel on Wednesday at the same time. Trinamool Congress' contention is that the flight was made to hover over Kolkata for over 30 to 40 minutes, despite reporting low fuel.
"It is turning out to be more and more suspicious because this kind of an ultra-authoritarianism is happening in many, many spheres," Trinamool Congress MP Derek O' Brien said, raising the issue in Rajya Sabha.
