Dharna to continue till Friday : Mamata

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee Monday said that her dharna against CBI's attempt to grill Kolkata Police chief in chit fund scam cases will continue till Friday in view of the coming board examinations. Banerjee is sitting on dharna since Sunday night at the Metro channel in Esplanade area in the heart of the city, the place where she had sat on a 26-day fast in 2006 against acquisition of farm land by Tata Motors at Singur for its small car project.

"This demonstration will continue till February 8. Because the board examinations will be starting soon we will not be playing the loudspeakers so that the students are not disturbed," she said.

She has termed her dharna as "satyagraha" or passive political resistance against the CBI attempting to question the city police commissioner on chit fund scams and against the Centre for attemting a "coup" in the state. A CBI team had gone to Kolkata Police Commissioner Rajeev Kumar's residence in the city Sunday to question him in connection with multi-crore rupees ponzi scams, but it was denied permission, bundled into jeeps and whisked to a police station.

The chief minister has accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP president Amit Shah of trying to organise a "coup" in the state and alleged that National Security Advisor Ajit Doval was directing the CBI to harass political opponents on the orders of the prime minister. In several parts of the state like Burdwan, East Purulia, Birbhum, South 24 Parganas and North 24 Parganas districts, effigies of Modi and Shah were burnt.

The activists also obstructed train movement in Howrah and Hooghly districts, and put up blockades on the national highway in Bankura district. Banerjee said earlier in the day that she would continue her "satyagraha" till the country and its Constitution are "saved"..

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