Mamata Banerjee continues to inaugurate state-sponsored festivals; partymen protest outside CBI office

KOLKATA: West Bengal chief minister and Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee is on a festival inauguration spree across the state while her party protests demonetisation and the arrest of two members of parliament by the CBI.
In the last one week, Banerjee has opened at least seven festivals and fairs and on Monday used once such event to speak out against Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
She was in Burdwan to inaugurate ‘Mati Utsav’ (to celebrate farming) and will next travel to Birbhum on January 10 to open the ‘Baul Utsav’ (folk song festival).
The other events she has inaugurated so far include Sangit Mela, Junglemahal Utsav, Biswabangla Tele Awards and a function to mark 200 years of Presidency University.
Meanwhile, Trinamool workers are staging a sit-in in front of the CBI headquarters in Delhi against the arrest of Sudip Bandyopadhyay, party’s leader in the Lok Sabha, and a dharna in front of the Reserve Bank of India office protesting against demonetisation.
Ironically, on the day Bandopadhyay was arrested, Banerjee was in West Midnapore to inaugurate the 'Junglemahal Utsab'.
Earlier, the CBI arrested party MP Tapas Paul.However, staying out of protest rallies does not mean she is unfazed by the political upheavals. "The economy has been bulldozed. Markets are on down. This is a signal of bad times. The situation is worse than Emergency. For the next 72 hours, we will carry out nationwide protests. The CBI has become 'Conspiracy Bureau of Investigation," Banerjee said while addressing the gathering at Mati Utsav on Monday.
She even demanded the Prime Minister’s resignation.
"Modi has to step down. Or else people will bring him down. He failed to bring back black money from abroad. Who gave him the right to take away people’s white money?" she said. Meanwhile, the Trinamool will organise a protest rally in Bhubaneswar.
Party leaders including Partha Chatterjee, Manish Gupta and Chandrima Bhattacharya have reached the Odisha capital. Protests are being organised in other states too. Trinamool MPs, on the other hand, are holding a demonstration near South Avenue in Delhi till January 11. But Banerjee, who was supposed to go to Delhi this week, has postponed her plans.
"Trinamool Congress is organising nationwide protest against Modi babu’s shameless flop-show. Restrictions should be removed. Millions are facing hardship due to demonetisation. Dharnas will be held over the next three days in Bengal, Bhubaneswar, Punjab, Kishanganj (Bihar), Manipur, Tripura, Assam, Jharkhand and Delhi," said Banerjee.
The CPM, the Opposition in West Bengal, too seems to have found a weapon to target Trinamool after the arrest of its leaders in connection with a chit-fund scam. Its workers too are staging a dharna in front of the CBI office seeking action against other Trinamool leaders.