Mamata's political histrionics halted by Supreme Court: Smriti Irani

Smriti Irani has questioned Mamata Banerjee for claiming moral victory after SC directed Kolkata Police Commissioner to appear before the CBI.

New Delhi: Union minister Smriti Irani on Tuesday accused Mamata Banerjee of indulging in political histrionics and added that the Supreme Court had brought about an end to it.

The West Bengal chief minister has accused the Centre of undermining democracy and misusing the Central Bureau of Investigations (CBI). The political battle flared up last Sunday when a team of CBI officials reached the residence of Kolkata Police Commissioner Rajeev Kumar in connection with investigations into the Rose Valley and Saradha Chit Fund scam. While Mamata sat on dharna, the BJP leaders said that investigative agencies must be allowed to do their work. The CBI also approached SC and the top court on Tuesday directed Kumar to cooperate with investigations. "Mamata Banerjee's political histrionics brought to screeching halt by SC," Irani was quoted as saying by news agency PTI. "With egg on her face, to celebrate it as a moral victory is a dichotomy that is only available in the realms of Mamata Banerjee's politics."

Earlier in the day, Mamata - much like BJP leaders - claimed that the Supreme Court had vindicated her stand. The top court directed that no coercive action may be taken against Kumar and this is what the TMC supremo cited as a just result.

The entire incident has resulted in political lines being drawn clearly with BJP maintaining that investigation agencies ought to be allowed to do their work while opposition parties claiming that these agencies are being misused by the central government. In the case of Kumar, CBI has alleged that while he was heading a SIT looking into the chit fund scam, two very important evidence - a red diary and a pen drive - had gone missing. While Kumar will now have to appear before CBI in Shillong, there is no word on when Mamata would call off her dharna.