KOLKATA :West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee Mamata Banerjee called off her protest after sitting on ‘Save the Constitution’ dharna for three days. Addressing supporters, she said, “This dharna (Save the Constitution) is victory for the Constitution and democracy, so, let us end it today.” She further added, The Court gave a positive judgement today. Next week, we will continue to take up the issue in Delhi.

Slamming Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Mamata Banerjee said, “They (Central govt) want to control all the agencies including the state agencies also? PM you resign from Delhi and go back to Gujarat. One man govt, one party government is there.” She ended her three-day long dharna on Tuesday after consultation with senior leaders.

“The Supreme Court on Tuesday asked Kumar to appear before the CBI and also directed the probe agency not to take any coercive action against him, including arrest. This morning, the Supreme Court said Kolkata police chief Rajeev Kumar should appear before the Central Bureau of Investigation in Meghalaya’s Shillong on February 20. He should submit all evidence and cooperate with the probe into chit fund scams in Bengal, the court said.The CBI contended that Mr Kumar, who conducted the initial investigation into the Saradha and Rose Valley Ponzi schemes, had “doctored evidence” to shield the accused. Several leaders of Mamata Banerjee’s Trinamool Congress have been arrested in the case.

“There is no democracy in Bengal, it’s with the help of ruling govt that people were looted off in the Chit Fund Scam. This Police Commissioner is Mamata’s servant, he will do whatever she says,” said Congress MP Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said on Tuesday. Notably, Congress President Rahul Gandhi has extended his support to Mamata Banerjee for sitting on a dharna in connection with the CBI row.

After TDP, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) also offered support to West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee for her ‘dharna’ over the CBI row. “We have gathered here to save our democracy,” RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav said, while addressing the crowd at the venue of Mamata’s dharna. He said that the nation was demanding answers from the Narendra Modi government. He said, “We kept waiting but Acche Din never came.” Yadav further said, “CBI must prove its integrity by acting against BJP chief Amit Shah’s son.”

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu on Tuesday met West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee at the venue of her ‘Save the Constitution’ dharna in Kolkata on Tuesday. Naidu joins a long list of opposition leaders who have extended support to teh TMC chief who has been on a ‘dharna’ since February 3 over the CBI vs Kolkata Police row.  Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav on Tuesday shared an open letter on his Twitter account, expressing solidarity with West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for her ‘dharna’ against the CBI’s bid to question Kolkata top cop Rajeev Kumar in connection with the chit fund scams case. Yadav called on Indian institutions, suggesting that the Judiciary, CBI and IPS “must fight back”. He wrote,”Ï call on our judiciary, the CBI, the IPS and all our other national institutions to prevail against the constant attacks on them and to fight back with integrity.
“Mr Naidu was the third opposition leader to reach Kolkata to show solidarity with Ms Banerjee. Yesterday, Tejashwi Yadav, the son of Bihar’s veteran leader Lalu Yadav and DMK’s Kanimozhi had reached Kolkata and shared stage with the Chief Minister. Meanwhile, the Centre has ordered the Bengal government to begin departmental proceedings against Rajeev Kumar for breaking service rules and disciplinary code. The CBI went to the Supreme Court on Monday – a day after their team which went to question Rajeev Kumar at his home in Kolkata was stopped and detained by the police. Shortly after the showdown, the furious Chief Minister had launched her indefinite dharna, accusing the BJP of using the CBI for “political vendetta” and calling it a “constitutional breakdown”.
Messages of support have also come from Congress chief Rahul Gandhi, Aam Aadmi Party’s Arvind Kejriwal, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, Mayawati, National Conference chief Omar Abdullah and PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti.(With Inputs from Kolkata ).