West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday made a surprising statement saying that she does not believe Prime Minister Narendra Modi is ‘misusing’ central investigative agencies to harass or intimidate rivals. She said there were some within the BJP who were doing so to further their own interests.
Mamata made the comments while speaking on a resolution by the Bengal government against the ‘excesses’ of central agencies.
She urged the prime minister to ensure that the agenda of the central government and those of his party does not get mixed. “This won’t be good for the country.”
“The present union government is behaving in a dictatorial way. This resolution is not against anyone in particular, but against the biased functioning of the central agencies,” Banerjee told a news agency.
This is a clear departure from Mamata’s frequent outbursts against the prime minister. Political observers say the softening of stand is clearly aimed at pacifying the prime minister as her close aides are surrounded by the central investigative agencies on several corruption cases.
The Bengal assembly passed the resolution with 189 MLAs voting in favour and 69 (most of whom were BJP lawmakers) standing opposed.
She defended the resolution, saying it was not aimed at any person but against the ‘biased functioning’ of central investigative agencies like the Enforcement Directorate or the Central Bureau of Investigation.