SFI activists manhandle Bengal FM Amit Mitra in Delhi; Mamata loses her cool
[Editor: Now the moot question is: were the molesters of Dr,Amit Mitra arrested by the police? Why did the police not conduct a "lathi charge"? The faces of the girls are visible on the video below; I urge the government to take strong action against these rowdies]
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| Police men protect West Bengal Finance Minister Amit Mitra from SFI activists as he arrives to meet Deputy Chairman of Planning Commission Montek Singh Ahluwalia in New Delhi on Tuesday. SFI activists were protesting over the death of student leader Sudipto Gupta - Photo: Deccan Chronicle |
New Delhi: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday faced protests over death of an SFI member from Left activists who also heckled her Finance Minister Amit Mitra outside the Planning Commission office here.
A group of protesters from Left organisations, which waited for the Trinamool Congress Chief outside the Commission's office, raised slogans against her when she arrived with Mitra at 3:45 PM to meet plan panel Deputy Chairperson Montek Singh Ahluwalia.
Banerjee, who was advised by police not to get down from her car and drive inside, however, chose to walk through the slogan-shouting and placard-wielding crowd into the building. The protesters heckled Mitra whose kurta was torn in the melee.
Panchayat Minister Subrata Mukherjee and Urban Development Minister Firhad Hakim also faced the ire of the activists who were protesting the death of Sudipto Gupta, a leader of CPI(M)'s student wing SFI.
As SFI and CPI(M) members chanted, "Mamata Banerjee hai hai (Mamata down down), TMC hai hai, Hatyari Mamata sharm karo (have shame, killer Mamata)", an agitated Chief Minister walked into the building shouting that 'this is uncivilised behaviour'.
"You know why they are protesting. I have 10 lakh people with me. I can bring them to Delhi. They don't want development of West Bengal," she said.
A group of protesters from Left organisations, which waited for the Trinamool Congress Chief outside the Commission's office, raised slogans against her when she arrived with Mitra at 3:45 PM to meet plan panel Deputy Chairperson Montek Singh Ahluwalia.
Banerjee, who was advised by police not to get down from her car and drive inside, however, chose to walk through the slogan-shouting and placard-wielding crowd into the building. The protesters heckled Mitra whose kurta was torn in the melee.
Panchayat Minister Subrata Mukherjee and Urban Development Minister Firhad Hakim also faced the ire of the activists who were protesting the death of Sudipto Gupta, a leader of CPI(M)'s student wing SFI.
As SFI and CPI(M) members chanted, "Mamata Banerjee hai hai (Mamata down down), TMC hai hai, Hatyari Mamata sharm karo (have shame, killer Mamata)", an agitated Chief Minister walked into the building shouting that 'this is uncivilised behaviour'.
"You know why they are protesting. I have 10 lakh people with me. I can bring them to Delhi. They don't want development of West Bengal," she said.
Irked by the scene that unfolded outside, she complained to Ahluwalia, "You have created a new precedent. My minister was assaulted. This is scandalous. There were 20 hooligans. Can you stop development of a state like this."
Ahluwalia later said, "I have apologised to Mamata for the extremely unruly protest outside our office."
Condemning the attack, Union Minister Rajiv Shukla said, "Strong police action will be taken against these SFI protesters."
SFI leader Ritabrata Banerjee said, "Our protest is to show Mamata Banerjee that Sudipto Gupta's death was not a petty matter. People are deeply concerned about what is happening in West Bengal."
SFI has alleged that 22-year-old Gupta died after he was beaten up by the police which has maintained that he was killed in an accident.
Banerjee had termed the incident as "unfortunate" but later called it a "petty" matter, drawing criticism from the Left.
Courtesy: Deccan Chronicle
