Kolkata witnessed a fresh political stir on Monday as the army dismantled a temporary stage erected by the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) at the foot of the Gandhi statue in Dharmatala, a traditional site for protests and public programmes. The stage had apparently overstayed its welcome.
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee rushed to the scene, accusing the BJP of using the army to play “stage manager” for political purposes. She said, “About 200 army men were running away after seeing me. I asked them, why are you running away? I am not against you. I am proud of you. But the Defence Minister and the BJP did this. They are trying to dismantle the TMC’s stage by force for political purposes. What is behind this?”
Mamata alleged the move targeted Bengal’s cultural and linguistic identity. “Bengal will not sit quietly if someone plays with the language and culture of Bengal,” she warned. She added the stage had been set up with prior permission. “If there was any objection, the army could have informed us or the Kolkata Police. We would have removed it ourselves. Instead, the stage was demolished. This is immoral.”
Army officers had earlier visited the site to inform TMC leaders that the stage needed to be removed. Despite attempts at negotiation, the army proceeded to dismantle the structure, leaving Mamata accusing them of “taking the job a little too literally.”
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TMC spokesperson Kunal Ghosh reacted sharply, saying, “We are protesting against the oppression of the Bengali language and Bengali-speaking people. Every weekend, our youth and branch organisations join the programme. But on Monday, it was seen that the army is removing our stage and banners at Dharmatala. This is not desirable.”
Ghosh accused the Centre of deliberately obstructing TMC’s movement. “There is a deliberate attempt to stop TMC’s movement by sending the army. The Centre could not do it by depriving us of funds, the BJP could not do it, the central agencies could not do it, and now the army is being used. If there is any mistake, the matter should be resolved according to specific rules. Why should the army take it upon itself?”
While protesting the action, the TMC clarified it would avoid unnecessary confrontation with the army and announced plans to shift its platform to nearby Rani Rashmoni Road, under Kolkata Police jurisdiction, a safer spot for politically “well-behaved” stages.
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