A political firestorm raged on Monday as Mamata Banerjee's sit-in protest against CBI's bid to question Kolkata police chief in chit fund scam cases

entered the second day, with West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee

declaring her agitation to save the "Constitution and country" will go on and she was ready to face the consequences.

The failed attempt by the CBI to question Kolkata Police Commissioner Rajeev Kumar in connection with the Saradha and Rose Valley chit fund scams on Sunday became the latest flashpoint between the BJP-led centre and Banerjee, one of its bitter critics. The CBI has accused Kumar of destroying

evidence related to the two fraud cases.

Support for the West Bengal leader poured in from far off Chennai, Amaravati and Bengaluru, with regional satraps backing her in her fight against the Centre.

Andhra Pradesh chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu alleged in Amaravati that the BJP government was acting with vengeance against Banerjee as the opposition parties' rally in the West Bengal capital on January 19 was a great success.

There was a massive ruckus in parliament with home minister Rajnath Singh saying there may be a breakdown of constitutional machinery in West Bengal.

CNBC-TV18 caught up with Sanjay Jha, spokesperson, Congress; Shaina NC spokesperson, BJP; AP Singh, former director, CBI and Saugata Roy, TMC MP - Lok Sabha, to discuss the crisis.

Shaina NC said, "This is not vendetta politics, this is the Supreme Court guideline which says that the CBI must act immediately on this particular case. Why is the TMC protecting Rajeev Kumar? What vested interest do they have to contradict an independent agency like CBI which is working in accordance with the Supreme Court? I find it funny when Mamata Banerjee announces a dharna and lashes out through the media saying that this is harmful to the constitution."

AP Singh said, "The Supreme Court has ordered the investigation, so the CBI has every right to examine people, arrest people and search their houses, there is no bar on that."

The police commissioner is a very important functionary of the West Bengal government and the normal protocol to inform the state government before talking to him, Singh said.

"So, protocol-wise, it was avoidable. There was no real urgency as the case has been going on. If he is not cooperating you could have got the state government to order that he appears before the CBI office," he added.

Saugata Roy said, "Supreme Court had passed the order on May 2014, it is almost 5 years since then. The CBI did not choose to interrogate Rajeev Kumar at that time. Now with elections two months away, they want to interrogate Rajeev Kumar."

With inputs from PTI.

First Published:Feb 4, 2019 8:19 PM IST