What Led to Mamata’s Unprecedented Dharna Against Modi Govt

A missed EC Meeting, denial of helicopter landing permissions for BJP leaders, and the ‘historic’ Brigade Rally.

Mamata Banerjee during the dharna after the Kolkata police detained officials of the CBI who had come to arrest Kolkata Police Commissioner Rajeev Kumar.

(Photo: Altered by The Quint)

Sunday night, 3 February, saw a dramatic turn of events in Kolkata as Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee announced her most direct attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

What happened before that? Here’s the short of it:

The Central Bureau Of Investigation (CBI) wanted to arrest Kolkata Police Commissioner Rajeev Kumar. Instead, Kolkata Police detained the CBI officers. Mamata Banerjee said, “Don’t mess with me”, and went on to call an indefinite dharna in Kolkata, going as far as to say that her government will now function from the dharna. Now, the BJP wants President’s rule in the state, while the Trinamool has declared that it wants to ‘save democracy’.

• 4:50 pm: CBI team tries to enter CP Rajeev Kumar
  
• 4:55 pm: Kolkata DCP (South) arrives with police team at CP’s residence
  
• 6:50 pm: CBI team held by Kolkata Police
  
• 7:05 pm: WB CM Mamata enters CP’s residence
  
• 7:55 pm: Mamata steps out to address press
  
• 8:15 pm: Mamata reaches Metro Channel, sits on dharna
  

Catch all the live updates on the CBI vs TMC crisis here.

But what really led to this turmoil? Well, these three incidents play a role:

1. Rajeev Kumar Misses Election Commission Meeting On 30 January

The Election Comission sought answers from Kolkata Police Commissioner Rajeev Kumar for not attending a meeting it had called on Thursday, 30 January. Kumar had deputed a special commissioner to attend the meet instead. This sent rumour mills churning claiming that the CBI was looking for Kumar in connection with the Rose Valley and Sarada ponzi scams, and that he was allegedly absconding for three days.

Kolkata Police, in an official communication, responded saying:

“Please take note that not only is the CP Kolkata available in the city, but has also been attending office on a regular basis, with the exception of 31 January 2019, when he was on leave for a day. All concerned may please take note that if any news is spread without proper verification, Kolkata Police will initiate strict legal action against defamation of both the CP Kolkata and Kolkata Police.

Meanwhile, Mamata tweeted saying:

Then, around 6-6.30 pm on Sunday, about 40 officials of the CBI landed outside Kumar’s house to “arrest him” (The Trinamool maintains that the CBI had no valid documents).

Thereafter, the Kolkata police personnel present at the Commissioner’s residence put the CBI officers in police vans and detained them at the Shakespeare Sarani Police Station. 

CBI officials being detained by the Kolkata police.(Photo: PTI)

Mamata soon arrived at the spot and declared that this was a violation of federal structures and the Constitution, and then sat on an indefinite dharna at the city’s Metro Channel.

Mamata Banerjee at the dharna.(Photo: PTI)

Meanwhile, the CRPF was moved outside the city’s CBI office. Arrangements were being made to create a makeshift office for the chief minister at the Metro Channel itself.

“It’s Budget day tomorrow (Monday, 4 February) and I will meet all my officials via video conference from here,” she announced at the end of her address.

2. Amit Shah’s Rally & BJP’s Lok Sabha Outreach

Before the CBI vs Kolkata Police showdown, there was the rift triggered by the BJP’s rally plans in Bengal.

The BJP has planned a string of rallies in West Bengal ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. Party president Amit Shah went on to hold one of such rallies in Malda district on 29 January, even after his helicopter was denied permission to land in the district.

Just a few weeks before the Malda rally, a mega ‘Modi rally’ that was also slated to be held in Kolkata was postponed and moved to the less central location of Thakurnagar (about two and a half hours away from Kolkata) and another one was penciled in Durgapur on 2 February.

BJP President Amit Shah at the rally in Malda.(Photo Courtesy: Twitter/Amit Shah)

On 3 February, reports suggested that Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath’s helicopter was also denied permission from landing in the North Dinajpur district, where he was scheduled to address a rally.

An escalation point was in the offing.

3. The ‘Historic’ Brigade Rally On 19 January

And before that, there was the ‘historic’ Opposition rally in Kolkata’s Brigade Parade Ground on 19 January, when leaders from 22-23 parties came together, with Mamata at the helm.

The rally was seen as a massive anti-BJP show of strength.

Kolkata: People throng Brigade Parade Ground during Mamata Banerjee’s Opposition Unity Rally.(Photo: ANI)

The Opposition rally was one of the main talking points for the BJP in their public meetings. Now, a sitting chief minister is camping out under the open sky in protest against the Centre.

#CBIvsKolkataPolice, or #DidivsCentre, as many are calling it, has kicked the fight for 2019 general election up a notch.