Opposition may move court on ‘misuse of agencies’ | Latest News India - Hindustan Times
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Opposition may move court on ‘misuse of agencies’

By, New Delhi/ Kolkata
Mar 22, 2023 12:23 AM IST

At least eight non-Congress opposition parties that wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi complaining against alleged misuse of central agencies are planning to file separate petitions in the high courts or the Supreme Court.

At least eight non-Congress opposition parties that wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi complaining against alleged misuse of central agencies are planning to file separate petitions in the high courts or the Supreme Court against the way federal investigative agencies are being used, according to people aware of the matter who asked not to be named.

West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee. (PTI)
West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee. (PTI)

These preparations come amid efforts of some of these parties to unite and include more political outfits into their loose alliance ahead of the 2024 general elections. West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee, a key force in this group, will meet Odisha chief minister Naveen Patnaik on Thursday and former Karnataka chief minister HD Kumaraswamy on Friday.

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“Unlawful use of agencies is a major issue for Opposition parties. We have already held virtual meetings among ourselves. The senior leaders of these 8-9 parties have each signed petition. Even the vakalatnama (document authorising an advocate) to nominate a representative to appear in court has been signed,” a Trinamool Congress leader said, asking to be named. “We may go to the Delhi high court or the Supreme Court against misuse of agencies.”

The alleged misuse of agencies a common issue for parties such as the TMC, the Aam Aadmi Party, the Bharat Rashtra Samithi and the Rashtriya Janata Dal, and their leaders believe it can be a rallying point for this formation.

Banerjee also announced on Tuesday that she will carry out a demonstration from March 29 noon to March 30 evening in Kolkata, demanding the release of central funds for various welfare schemes in West Bengal.

“No fund allocation has been made in this year’s Union budget for these projects in Bengal. There are no funds for road projects as well. We are yet to receive 115,000 crore under several heads. I met Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Delhi six months ago and requested the Centre’s cooperation. I met (Union home minister) Amit Shah in Kolkata as well,” Banerjee said at Kolkata airport before leaving on a three-day tour of Odisha.

“I will sit in a dharna (demonstration) near Ambedkar’s statue from March 29 to 30. I will raise the issue of price rise and the neglect Bengal is facing,” the TMC supremo said. “People are paying more than 1,100 for a cooking gas cylinder.”

The Centre is deliberately sending inspection teams to stall the implementation of housing and other schemes, Banerjee added, blaming Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders in West Bengal.

“They are sending the Central Bureau of Investigation and Enforcement Directorate after us to keep Bengal’s BJP leaders happy,” she said. “The latter have become presidents of the federal agencies. Government and party are quite different entities. A government has to work for the people.”

Banerjee will meet Biju Janata Dal president Patnaik during her three-day trip to Odisha.

“It is a personal and courtesy call and has nothing to do with (forming an) united opposition. Regional parties are always strong. The Centre forms policies, but the state has to implement them. There is a question of Centre-state relationship. We may discuss these,” Banerjee said.

She will also offer prayers at Puri’s Jagannath temple and oversee preparations for setting up a West Bengal government guest house in Bhubaneswar. Banerjee has been trying to bring leaders of regional parties on a common anti-BJP platform since last year.

Banerjee announced on March 17 that the TMC will have no alliance with the Congress. On the same day, she held a meeting with Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav, who was in Kolkata to hold his party’s national executive meet. Yadav, too, said his party will maintain equal distance from the Congress and BJP.

Banerjee said on Tuesday that former chief minister of poll-bound Karnataka and Janata Dal (Secular) leader, HD Kumaraswamy, will meet her in Kolkata on March 24.

The BJP reacted to Banerjee’s plans on holding a demonstration in Delhi.

“She is remembering Ambedkar after neglecting members of the scheduled caste communities for more than a decade,” said West Bengal BJP’s former president Rahul Sinha. “These are futile attempts to divert media attention from the scams in which TMC leaders are facing probes and landing in jail.”

Unveiling 'Elections 2024: The Big Picture', a fresh segment in HT's talk show 'The Interview with Kumkum Chadha', where leaders across the political spectrum discuss the upcoming general elections. Watch now!

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