Kolkata: CPI(M), BJP and Congress on Friday
joined in a chorus to flay the Mamata Banerjee government for
setting a "dangerous trend of silencing cartoonists" by
arresting them for criticising political leaders.
Expressing surprise at the arrest of a professor of
Jadavpur University for allegedly posting cartoons on a social
networking site, Leader of Opposition Suryakanta Mishra said,
"It shows lack of patience of the state government which has
poor knowledge that everyone has the right of expression."
The CPI(M) leader described the police action as
"unprecedented".
BJP state president Rahul Sinha said there had been
"dangerous cartoons" in the past against Indira Gandhi, Atal
Behari Vajpayee, LK Advani, Jyoti Basu and others "but no
political party took any action against any cartoonist."
"Are we really heading for a party-sponsored
emergency?" Sinha said.
A leader of TMC ally, Congress` Om Prakash Mishra dubbed
the arrest as "unfortunate".
PTI
