A political firestorm raged Monday as Mamata Banerjee's sit-in protest against CBI's bid to question Kolkata police chief in chit fund scam cases entered the second day, with the West Bengal Chief Minister declaring her agitation to save the "Constitution and country" will go on till the goal is achieved.
The ripple effect of political tremors in West Bengal were felt in New Delhi and several state capitals, as Banerjee's combative posturing on the issue drew support from several regional satraps trying to sew up an anti-BJP alliance ahead of the Lok Sabha polls.
"This is a satyagraha and I'll continue (it) till the country is saved...Constitution is saved," the firebrand TMC boss told reporters at the protest site, as she escalated her confrontation with the Modi government, a day after an all-out war broke out between the two.
As Trinamool Congress workers took to streets burning effigies of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP chief Amit Shah, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh called the developments in West Bengal "unfortunate and unprecedented" and indicative of a "breakdown of the Constitution".
"There may be breakdown of Constitution in West Bengal...under the Constitution, the central government has been vested with the power to maintain normalcy in any part of the country," Singh told the Lok Sabha.
"Whatever happened on Sunday indicates constitutional breakdown," he said as a host of opposition parties threw their weight behind the feisty West Bengal leader.
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Singh also sought a report from Governor Keshari Nath Tripathi which was promptly sent by Raj Bhavan. Its contents were, however, not immediately known.
The failed attempt by the CBI to question Kolkata Police Commissioner Rajeev Kumar in connection with the Saradha and Rose Valley chit fund scams on Sunday became the latest flashpoint between the BJP-led Centre and Banerjee, one of its bitter critics. The CBI has accused Kumar of destroying evidence related to the two fraud cases.
A CBI team was bodily prevented from entering the residence of Kumar by Kolkata police personnel, bundled into vehicles, and detained. Contingents of West Bengal police also descended on CBI premises in the city, as a furious Banerjee rushed to Kumar's residence before beginning a dharna opposite Metro Cinema, one of Kolkata's landmarks.
Lakhs of depositors in several eastern states including West Bengal, Odisha, Assam, Bihar and Jharkhand were duped by the promoters of Saradha and Rose Valley groups of their hard earned money. The size of the Saradha swindle is pegged at roughly Rs 4,000 crore and that of Rose Valley a staggering Rs 15,000 crore.
Several TMC leaders including parliamentarians like Kunal Ghosh, Srinjay Bose, Sudip Bandyopadhyay, Tapas Pal, besides state minister Madan Mitra were arrested for their alleged links with the two chit fund companies.
As the political temperature soared, with TMC workers and supporters blocking trains and holding protests, Banerjee said, "We want a peaceful demonstration. Please do not burn any effigies here."
Expressing solidarity with Banerjee, the TDP supremo said, "Cases against those who surrender to the BJP are being lifted. They are digging out old cases against those who oppose the BJP. The recent Kolkata rally was successful, hence the vengeance against Mamata Banerjee."