KOLKATA, Mar. 30, 2023 (TBINN)
West Bengal’s Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee sat overnight in front of Dalit icon Dr B.R. Ambedkar’s statue on Red Road in the heart of city, surrounded by a cohort of T.M.C. leaders and workers under television camera arclights.
Chief Minister Mamata who is staging a two-day-long sit-in to protest alleged discrimination by the Centre against the state, in a change of stance, urged all political parties in the country to unitedly fight the Bhartiya Janta Party in next year’s Lok Sabha Election, in a departure from an earlier decision to remain equi-distant from both, the Congress and the Right-Wing party ruling India’s federal polity.
Trinamool Congress’ supremo was accompanied by several party leaders including Firhad Hakim and Aroop Biswas at the protest.
Security measures in and around the venue were tightened keeping in mind the presence of high-profile leaders and the perceived threat perception to them, a senior officer of Kolkata Police said.
Mamata Banerjee started the sit-in demonstration against the Centre’s alleged stoppage of funds to the state for M.G.N.R.E.G.A. and other schemes of the Housing and Public Works departments.
City has been witnessing a flurry of political activity ahead of the Panchayat Elections slated for this Summer, which has now received a Green Signal from Calcutta High Court while was responding to a petition filed by leader of the Opposition Suvendu Adhikari earlier this week on the statistics being used to determine seat reservations.
Rival rallies by Mamata’s nephew and upcoming T.M.C. leader Abhishek, B.J.P.’s Adhikari and a march organised by the Left-Congress alliance increased the state’s political temperature by a few notches along with the sit-in demonstration which has been drawing large crowds of onlookers.
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