West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee is facing strong objections from the Indian Army over her remarks allegedly linking a serving officer at Vijay Durg to political activity.
The Indian Army’s Eastern Command has sought the intervention of West Bengal Governor C.V. Ananda Bose in connection with Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s recent allegation that a senior Army officer was using the command base at Fort William and working on the SIR exercise at the behest of the BJP.
According to a senior official at the Lok Bhavan, two Army generals and a Colonel rank officer from Vijay Durg, the command headquarters, met Governor Bose recently and submitted a communication which reportedly objected to Ms. Banerjee’s claims.
Although the details of what transpired at the meeting were not immediately clear, the Lok Bhavan official said that Mr. CV Anand Bose had taken serious note of the matter and brought it to the attention of competent authorities at the Centre.
“The Army officers are understood to have spoken to the Governor and requested his intervention in the matter. The Army is peeved with the chief minister’s recent remarks suggesting that a commandant of the forces was working for the BJP while remaining posted at Fort William,” the official told PTI.
Without elucidating further details on the identity of the officer concerned, the Chief Minister claimed on January 13 that the Army Ofgicer was using the command base to carry out political activities in the wake of the controversial SIR of electoral rolls in the State.
“I have information that a commandant at Fort William is working on SIR to lend support to the BJP. He is sitting there and doing the work of the BJP party office. I request them with folded hands to desist from such activities,” Ms. Banerjee had said while addressing a press conference from the state secretariat, Nabanna.
Sources, speaking on condition of anonymity, said a letter protesting the remarks was submitted to the Governor during the meeting. Though details of the communication were not made public, Bose is understood to have informed appropriate authorities at the Centre.
Following last week’s meeting at the Lok Bhavan, it is understood that the Bengal Governor has approached the Defence Ministry in this connection and has brought to its notice the gravity of the matter, the official said.
“Let me first verify for myself what she said. If this violates any constitutional propriety, I will certainly intervene,” Mr. Bose had said earlier when asked to respond to Ms. Banerjee’s comments.
