Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Tuesday described his West Bengal counterpart Mamata Banerjee as the “architect” of the federal front, PTI reported.
“She is the architect of the federal front,” he said. “She is the main pillar of the Opposition.” The Telugu Desam Party chief arrived in Kolkata earlier in the day to join Banerjee at her dharna, which was called off in the evening. “She will win all the 42 seats in West Bengal and will be in a decision-making position at the national level,” said Naidu, adding that he had come on behalf of the 23 political parties who had participated in the January 19 ‘United India’ rally in Kolkata.
Banerjee started the dharna in front of the Metro Cinema on Sunday night after a team of the Central Bureau of Investigation arrived at Kolkata Police Commissioner Rajeev Kumar’s residence to question him in connection with chit fund scams. Banerjee claimed that the action was politically motivated and accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Bharatiya Janata Party Amit Shah of trying to usurp the government in the state.
Naidu welcomed the Supreme Court order stating that the CBI would not be able to arrest Kumar, and supported Banerjee’s move to stage a sit-in demonstration in protest. The Supreme Court directed Kumar to cooperate with the CBI in its inquiry and also issued a contempt notice to Kumar, Director General of Police Virendra and the West Bengal government. Both Banerjee and the Centre had hailed the verdict as “a moral victory”.
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