West Bengal politics

If an agency with the stature of the CBI has to arrest a Minister, then the matter has to be serious (“After Minister’s arrest, Mamata takes Modi head-on,” Dec. 14). If at all a Minister in her Cabinet is innocent, it behoves of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to allow Mr. Madan Mitra to face the investigation and emerge clean. To return fire by targeting the Prime Minister is just excessive criticism devoid of moderation or decency.

Venkatesh N. Muttur,Hubballi

Ms. Banerjee may have a right to express her anger, but to to take it to the level of saying, if an “image was proof of criminal conspiracy then Prime Minister Narendra Modi should be arrested”, proves that she has run out of all her defences. The CBI claims to have

prima facie evidence of wrongdoing. While it is for the courts to determine his culpability, it is unfortunate that the Chief Minister should take to the streets to demonstrate her solidarity with her arrested colleague. That Mr. Mitra received a hero’s welcome on the court premises (Dec. 14) from TMC supporters is testimony to the level of degeneration in the TMC, which unseated the Left using the “Maa, Maati, Maanush” slogan.

S.K. Choudhury,Bengaluru

Ms. Banerjee should not behave like a street-fighter. She cannot wish away the Saradha scam. The Centre has got little to do with this and what is happening is a result of investigation and action by the designated criminal investigation agency. Indulging in fiery rhetoric will do Ms. Banerjee no good.

V.S. Ganeshan,

Bengaluru

The all-out political war between the TMC and the BJP in West Bengal is now prime-time action. Allegations and counter-allegations are being hurled thick and fast at each other. Though the BJP may insist that it has evidence against the TMC in the Saradha scam and in the Burdwan events, it is a fact that the BJP has proved time and again its adeptness at tapping religious identity for electoral gains.

Ms. Banerjee may be a maverick political leader but it cannot be said against her that she gives preferential treatment to any community. It is her staunch defence of secularism that makes her an ideal target for the BJP, which appears to be cultivating a myopic view of nationalism. The BJP may be gaining ground in West Bengal but this is a surge that owes itself to the decline of the Left.

G. David Milton,Maruthancode, Tamil Nadu