Tejashwi, Kanimozhi visit Mamata at dharna site, express solidarity with her

RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav and DMK MP Kanimozhi Monday arrived at the venue of dharna of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and expressed solidarity and support to her after she began a sit-in protest over the CBI's attempt to question the Kolkata Police chief. Tejashwi and Kanimozhi spoke with Banerjee and enquired about the incidents since Sunday evening. Both of them also expressed solidarity with Banerjee.

The development comes against the backdrop of Banerjee beginning a sit-in protest at a Kolkata landmark on Sunday night over the CBI's attempt to question the Kolkata Police chief in connection with chit fund scams, insisting it stifled the spirit of "Constitution and federalism". "It is political conspiracy to use the CBI against political opponents. Narendra Modi is elder to us and he should understand that PM comes and goes but the institutions of this great country remains. Whoever will not compromise with BJP they will be harassed by the CBI and other agencies," Yadav said.

He said if all political parties don't unite then the people of this country "will not forgive" them. DMK leader Kanimozhi while expressing solidarity with Banerjee, said all the opposition parties should work towards staying united and work towards ensuring "that BJP's dream of returning to power" doesn't get fulfilled.

"I would say that this episode was Modiji's pre-election gift to Mamata Banerjee as the BJP has realised after January 19 rally that they won't return to power after Lok Sabha polls," she said. The BJP and the RSS "believe in divisive politics and in order to oust BJP, we should work together", she said.

Banerjee, while thanking both the leaders, said all the opposition parties are united and will fight "till Modi is ousted from power". "If we have to save India we have to oust Modi (Desh ko Bachana hain toh Modi toh Bhagana hain)," she said.

Earlier, before leaving for Kolkata, Yadav, son of RJD supremo Lalu Prasad, charged investigating agencies such as the CBI with harassment of political figures opposed to the BJP while 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 had also targeted Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar for remaining equivocal on the showdown witnessed in West Bengal the previous day when Banerjee sat on a dharna in protest against CBI officers visiting the residence of the Kolkata Police Commissioner for questioning in a corruption case.

"CBI, Income Tax department and Enforcement Directorate, all these agencies are being pressurised 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 Lohia and JP, evading queries earlier in the day on the latest developments in West Bengal", the former Deputy CM of Bihar said. Kumar had 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 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.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)