West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee came under intense attack on Sunday over arrest of a man who asked her a question at a rally, with Press Council of India Chairman Markandey Katju calling her “totally dictatorial, intolerant, and whimsical” in her behaviour.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) said giving answsers was the duty of political leaders and they could not run away while the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M), the arch rival of Banerjee’s Trinamool Congress, dubbed the arrest “unfortunate and horrific.”
In a hard-hitting statement, Katju said Banerjee's action amounted to "blatant misuse" of state machinery and "flagrant violation" of constitutional and human rights.
Katju, who expressed "shock" at the incident, said officials in West Bengal should take a lesson from the Nuremburg verdict. At the Nuremburg trials, the Nazi war criminals took the plea that orders were orders and they were only carrying out the orders of Adolf Hitler, their superior, but this plea was rejected and they were hanged.
A man identified as Siladitya Chowdhury, who was dubbed as a Maoist by Banerjee at a public meeting at the former Maoist stronghold of Belpahari on Wedneday, was arrested when he asked her what steps she was taking to help farmers. Chowdhury had told the chief minister the farmers were dying and “empty promises were not enough”.
The chief minister dubbed Chowdhury as a Maoist, while asking the police to arrest him.
Katju said he had changed his opinion about Banerjee whom he had earlier praised. “Her action is most undemocratic, to say the least,” he said, holding that Banerjee was totally undeserving to be a political leader. “I had earlier given a statement in favour of Mamata Banerjee because I thought one should see good points in a person’s personality also”. He added: “But now, I have changed my opinion and believe that she is totally undeserving to be a political leader in a democratic country like India, since she has no respect for constitutional and civil rights of citizens and is totally dictatorial, intolerant, and whimsical in her behaviour.”
