Kolkata: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee dharna or a sit-down protest entered Day 2 in central Kolkata to "save the constitution" after a huge showdown between the police and officials of the Central Bureau of Investigation on Sunday evening. The CBI officers wanted to question Kolkata police chief Rajeev Kumar over two Ponzi schemes, but the CBI officials who turned up at Mr Kumar's home were taken to a local police station and allegedly detained. "There is total constitutional breakdown. It is my job to protect my officers," the Chief Minister told reporters on Sunday evening. "They (the BJP) cannot fight is politically. That's why they are resorting to all this... Mr (Ajit) Doval is doing whatever PM wants him to do, he is the one giving all the instructions to CBI," she said.
Many Opposition leaders have also spoken out in support of Ms Banerjee. Congress chief Rahul Gandhi had also extended his support for Ms Banerjee. RJD chief Tejashwi Yadav said the state government had to take the move due to "political decisions" the CBI had been taking at the BJP's behest. He also said he may visit Kolkata today.
The CBI officers, who were released later, are planning to meet the Governor. Ms Banerjee is sitting on dharna at the designated spot for protests in Central Kolkata, accompanied by Kolkata police chief Rajeev Kumar.
Here are the Live Updates of Day 2 of Mamata Banerjee's dharna against CBI investigation of Rajeev Kumar:
Feb 04, 2019 21:20 (IST)
West Bengal political leadership created ''unnecessary obstruction'' in CBI probe: Kiren Rijiju
"This is not a face-off for us. This is just that the West Bengal government and the political leadership of the state have created unnecessary obstruction in the way of investigation going on under the direction of the Supreme Court," Mr Rijiju said. "We must follow the norms of any investigating agency and the procedural aspects. We must ensure that the rule of law is prevailed."
Feb 04, 2019 21:04 (IST)
Save the Constitution: Tejashwi Yadav
"My uncle Nitish Kumar is a darpok...so he went to BJP. Mamatadi's step must be supported," Tejashwi Yadav
Feb 04, 2019 19:14 (IST)
Union Minister Babul Supriyo accuses Banerjee of shielding ''corrupt'', Demands President Rule in Bengal
"President's Rule should be imposed on West Bengal to control this ''Rogue'' #TMchhi Govt under a corrupt CM Mamta Banerjee. This is a constitutional crisis ''created'' by Mamata to shield her corrupt & tainted accomplices (sic)," Babul Supriyo said in a tweet.
Feb 04, 2019 14:44 (IST)
A high-level BJP delegation submitted a memorandum to the poll panel to highlight instances that show that the TMC does not "believe" in democracy, Union Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, who was also a member of the group, told reporters.
Besides Ms Sitharaman, the other members of the delegation included Union ministers Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi and S S Ahluwalia, and BJP leaders Kailash Vijayvargiya, Bhupender Yadav, Anil Baluni and Mukul Roy.
She claimed that the TMC is rattled by the BJP's growth in West Bengal, which is why it is restricting the saffron party's programmes and even not allowing some rallies.
