The fortnight-old uproar in two house of the Parliament on the issue of demonetiztion today shifted to West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Benerjee’s accusation of `military coup’ in her state. As a result bedlam continued in both the houses.
The TMC and other opposition parties raised the issue of the presence of Army personnel at toll plazas ‘in various parts’ of West Bengal in both Houses of Parliament. Mamata Benerjee in Kolkatta deplored that the Army deployment was in “clear violation of the Constitution” and a bid to “create a civil war like situation in the country.”
Stating that West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee was still staying put at the state secretariat Nabanna to protest against the deployment of the army in the area, after spending the night in the building, TMC MP Derek O’Brien in Rajya Sabha said the army personnel were still deployed in over one dozen districts of Bengal.
However, the Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar said the Army presence in West Bengal is an annual routine exercise conducted throughout the country for getting data about the load carriers to be made available to the army in contingency situations.
Reacting to the allegation made by TMC leader Sudip Bandopadhya in Lak Sabha that the state government was kept in the dark, Parikar said Army is doing the exercise after consulting with the state police. The minister said this is political frustration of TMC. Earlier, raising the issue during Question Hour, Bandopadhya said the move violates nation’s federal structure.
Meanwhile, accusing the Congress Party of stalling the proceedings in the Parliament for 16 days, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ananth Kumar appealed to the Congress and other opposition parties to rise above politics and get ready for a discussion in the House as the government is ready to answer their questions.
