‘Once you join BJP, bye bye CBI’: Mamata Banerjee hits out at Centre

While many BJP leaders have voiced protests against the West Bengal government for denying them permission to land choppers for addressing public rallies, chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday hit back saying she was not even permitted to stay in official guest houses in Maharashtra and Bihar when she went there for meetings.

“When I had gone for a meeting in Maharashtra and Bihar, I wasn’t even allowed to stay in a guest house,” she said. While Maharashtra has a BJP government, in Bihar, the Janata Dal (United) led by chief minister Nitish Kumar is ruling in coalition with the BJP.

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Mamata also hit out at BJP leader Mukul Roy who left the Trinamool Congress to join the saffron party last year. She also targeted the BJP saying that those who join the party are shielded from investigating agencies such as CBI and ED. “Once you join BJP, bye bye CBI,” said Mamata, and added that central agencies such as CBI and ED should act without bias.

The CM was addressing the media and a gathering from the dharna site at Kolkata’s Metro Channel. Earlier in the day, she lauded the Supreme Court’s verdict which said that Kolkata police commissioner Rajeev Kumar cannot be arrested by the CBI, and claimed it a “moral victory”.