Amid tussle with the Central government, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is likely to hold a joint rally of anti-BJP leaders in Kolkata in January 2021, reported the Indian Express.
According to the report, Banerjee may rope in Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, Tamil Nadu Leader of Opposition MK Stalin, NCP leader Sharad Pawar and other regional leaders for the rally.
Mamata Banerjee on Sunday said that the Centre is interfering with her government by transferring three IPS officers, and expressed gratitude to her counterparts of Punjab, Delhi, Chhattisgarh, and Rajasthan for voicing solidarity with the state on the issue.
In a tweet, she thanked Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, and Tamil Nadu Leader of Opposition MK Stalin for showing solidarity.
"Centre is brazenly interfering with State Govt functioning by transferring police officers. My gratitude to @bhupeshbaghel @ArvindKejriwal @capt_amarinder @ashokgehlot51 & @mkstalinfor showing solidarity to people of Bengal and reaffirming their commitment to federalism. Thank you!" she tweeted.
Earlier, these leaders had criticised the central government for transferring the IPS officers. They termed this move as against the rule of federalism.
The Central and state government have been locked in a tussle. The Centre on December 17 asked three Indian Police Service officers from Bengal to report for central deputation with immediate effect, overriding the state government's objections that they could not be spared.
The three Indian Police Service (IPS) officers were asked to report for central deputation a day after an attack on BJP president JP Nadda's convoy near Kolkata earlier this month. The developments took place ahead of Assembly polls in the state in mid-2021.
(Inputs from Agencies)
