New Delhi: Four former chief ministers of states across the country were detained by the Delhi Police on Saturday for protests against Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar.
While former Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal, Pinarayi Vijayan of Kerala and Manik Sarkar of Tripura were picked up earlier, Mamata Banerjee was detained later.
Mamata, who was detained along with party leaders Derek O’Brien and Dola Sen, said the situation in Delhi has gone “beyond Emergency”.
She, along with other Trinamool Congress (TMC) leaders were holding a dharna at a bus stop on South Avenue after being stopped by the police from heading to Jantar Mantar, nearly 5 km away, to participate in the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) protest. TMC’s Delhi office is at 61, South Avenue, allocated to party leader Nadimul Haque, as reported by PTI.
“I do not think they should be doing all this, because by taking such actions, they are only making the protesters more popular,” the former West Bengal chief minister said.
“This has gone beyond an Emergency; it has become a Super Emergency. Maintaining peace and remaining calm is the most important thing, but what they are doing today is not right, neither for the country nor for its people,” she said.
Mamata and the others sat on the dharna here after police denied them permission to leave, the TMC claimed. The protesters held placards, with Banerjee wearing a band-aid on her mouth.
Mamata said they wanted to join the CJP protest, but were denied permission.
“We came here because we were invited by the CJP students and youth, but so many leaders have already been detained, and nobody is being allowed to enter Jantar Mantar, including us, so we felt it was better to express our solidarity with the students, the younger generation, the INDIA alliance, other organisations and all the citizens of this country who are participating in this movement,” she said.
They had planned to sit there till 5 pm, but were detained before that by the Delhi Police.
“…If we try to go there, they will not allow us to enter and may take us around Delhi in a vehicle, just as they are doing with Vijayan ji,” she said, referring to former Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan, who was detained by Delhi police along with other CPI(M) leaders.
“We have received information that he has been taken around on the roads for nearly two hours, so it is better to sit here on the road and make our position clear; our message is simple – Save India and Save Democracy,” she said.
AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal was scheduled to meet her on Saturday, Mamata said.
“Arvind was supposed to come to my house, and he had assured us last night that he would come, but I have received information that even he was not allowed to leave, and that is the problem… Instead of allowing people to participate peacefully, they are being stopped,” she said.