Opposition shows solidarity with Mamata; Tejashwi, Kanimozhi visits protest site

RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav and DMK MP Kanimozhi arrived at the venue of dharna by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee here on Monday and expressed solidarity with her. Yadav and Kanimozhi spoke with Banerjee and enquired about the incidents since Sunday evening.

Earlier, before leaving for Kolkata, Yadav, the son of RJD supremo Lalu Prasad, charged investigating agencies such as the CBI with harassment of political figures opposed to the BJP and treating those who switched over to the party in power at the Centre as Raja Harishchandra, the legendary king renowned for his piety and justice.

He also targeted Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar for remaining equivocal on the showdown witnessed in West Bengal the previous day when Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee sat on a dharna in protest against CBI officers visiting the residence of the city police chief for questioning in connection with chit fund scam cases.

Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) "The CBI, Income Tax department and Enforcement Directorate, all these agencies are being pressured and hijacked. These are being made to function as wings of the BJP. And it was appalling to see Nitish Kumar, who claims to be a follower of (Ram Manohar) Lohia and JP (Narayan), evading queries earlier in the day on the latest developments in West Bengal," the former deputy chief minister said.

The chief minister, during interaction with the media, sidestepped queries on the developments in the neighbouring state with the remark, "anything...all types of things could happen in the period until Lok Sabha elections are announced and the model code of conduct comes into force". Coming down heavily on the probe agencies, Yadav said, "My entire family is being hounded by these bodies. In Uttar Pradesh, Akhilesh Yadav is being harassed, so is Chandrababu Naidu in Andhra Pradesh and Mamata Banerjee in West Bengal."

"And when a Trinamool Congress leader joined the BJP, he became a Raja Harishchandra overnight," Yadav quipped, without naming former Railway Minister Mukul Roy, whose name had cropped up in the Saradha chit fund scam and the Narada sting operation.

(With inputs from agencies.)