Manas Dasgupta
NEW DELHI, Sept 1: The West Bengal ruling party Trinamool Congress led by the Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee lashed out at the BJP allegedly for taking help of the Indian Army in dismantling a stage set for its “Bhasha Andolan” protest next to the Gandhi statue in Maidan area at Mayo Road in Kolkata.
Calling it “undemocratic, unconstitutional and strong-arm tactics,” Ms Banerjee slammed the saffron party, accusing it of resorting to a “dirty political game.” She accused the BJP of using the Indian Army to dismantle the TMC’s stage. “They [the Army] should have consulted the Kolkata Police Commissioner, who in turn would have told us and we would have removed the stage,” Ms Banerjee told journalists at the venue where the stage had been set up.
The temporary structure, which was erected beside the Gandhi statue in the Maidan area was removed by the Indian Army. The demonstrations were held at the site to protest against the alleged atrocities on Bengali-speaking migrant workers in BJP-ruled states. Trinamool said that they had the permission to hold the demonstration and erect the temporary structure and alleged that the BJP was misusing power.
“We hold the Indian Army in the highest regard. What happened at Mayo Road is not the Army’s doing. @BJP4India abused power to dismantle our Bhasha Andolan protest site despite prior permission being granted and security deposits being made,” the Mamata Banerjee-led party said.
Reminders had been sent to the organisers for removal of the temporary structure, which was, however, not removed, a statement by the Union Ministry of Defence (MoD) said. The Kolkata Police had been informed, and the structure was being removed by the Indian Army, the statement added.
After a group of Indian Army personnel began dismantling the TMC’s stage on Monday afternoon, Ms Banerjee rushed to the venue. The Chief Minister claimed that the Army personnel ran away after they saw her. “There were about 200 of them. I told them — you are my friends, we are proud of you, why are you running away?” she said.
The Indian Army’s Eastern Command is the custodian of the land in the Kolkata Maidan area, including the stretch on the Mayo Road where the Trinamool Congress set up its stage. Permissions are taken from the Indian Army for holding any political activity in the Maidan area.
The stage was put up by the TMC to protest against the targeting of Bengali-speaking migrants in States across the country. West Bengal’s ruling party held protests on the issue during the weekend. The Trinamool Congress chairperson called for a State-wide protest over the incident, and said the party would shift its protest venue from Mayo Road to Rani Rashmoni Road, where the demonstration would be held every day.
The MoD’s statement said the local military authority of the Indian Army in Kolkata provided permission for events in the Maidan area for a duration of two days, as directed by the Supreme Court of India. “Permission for events greater than three days needs to be obtained from the MoD, Government of India. Permission for conduct of events was provided for two days. However, the stage has been put up for almost a month,” the MoD’s statement said.
Ms Banerjee said she was not blaming the Indian Army for dismantling the stage but blaming the BJP for misusing the Indian Army. “They cannot forcibly remove our flags. Army is not guilty. The dirty politics behind it is,” the West Bengal CM said.
“It is the UNDEMOCRATIC, UNCONSTITUTIONAL STRONG-ARM tactics of a rattled party that knows it cannot win Bengal’s trust,” it added. “BJP thinks they can silence us by deploying boots against voices, but Bengal has never bowed to bullies – whether in colonial times or under today’s Delhi Zamindars.”
Mamata Banerjee too lashed out at the BJP, accusing it of using the Army to its benefit and claiming that her party had the required permission and had also paid the fees for the same.
“It is unethical, unconstitutional, undemocratic and a misuse of power by the BJP. They want to use the Army for their own purpose. This is the message of the day. They don’t care about internal security and border security. They should not do this…We had permission for the event, we had also paid the fee,” she said. The party also asserted that it wouldn’t be intimidated and that no “political vandalism” could deter it from fighting for the dignity of Bengal, for their mother tongue, and for the people.
Later in the day, the Trinamool Congress posted a statement on social media. A “peaceful protest, born from love for our mother tongue, was torn down at the orders of Delhi’s frightened zamindars. Permission was granted,” the party said. “Deposits were paid. Every rule was followed. Yet @BJP4India chose brute force over dialogue,” the TMC added, sharing photographs of the Chief Minister addressing people from the venue where the party’s stage was disrupted.
The Leader of the Opposition in the State Assembly Suvendu Adhikari accused the Chief Minister of insulting “not just the Army but every Indian who holds them in reverence.” The TMC’s temporary structure in the Maidan was illegally occupying public land for nearly a month, and violated the Indian Army’s clear two-day permission rule, the BJP leader said. Despite multiple reminders, the party “arrogantly refused to remove it, forcing the Army to step in after intimating the Kolkata Police,” Mr Adhikari said.
The Army responded to the Trinamool claims of having the necessary permission to erect the temporary structure, saying that the party was allowed to hold the protest at the site for not more than two days, but the structure was removed after the ruling party flaunted norms. The Army further said the structure was only removed after several reminders had been sent to the party to take it off, as it had been almost a month, while the permission was granted for only two days. “Thereafter the Kolkata police was informed and the structure was being removed by the Indian Army,” it added.