Adhir Chowdhury, Congress MP and leader of the party in the Lok Sabha today slammed Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee over her meeting with Union home minister Amit Shah at the Eastern Zonal Cultural meet at Bhubaneswar, saying the meeting was nothing but an attempt to “consolidate the tacit understanding” between Shah and Banerjee.

The Congress veteran also trained his guns at the Centre over the abrupt transfer of the Delhi High Court Judge S Murlidhar calling it a “midnight surgical strike” resorted to by the Centre in the face of violence spiral in Northeast Delhi. Taking a swipe at the state chief minister Mamata Banerjee, the Berhampore MP said, “The chief minister of our state, who takes credit in spearheading the movement against the CAA, NPR and NRC is meeting the country’s home minister at a time when Delhi, the national Capital is burning and people dying. She should have boycotted the meeting with the home minister for his total failure in reining in the violence that claimed more than 40 lives so far “.

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Questioning the sudden transfer of the Delhi High court judge S Murlidhar to Punjab and Haryana High court, the leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha said, “The way the Centre had effected the transfer of the Delhi High Court Judge S Murlidhar, who had raised some uncomfortable questions against some BJP leaders and held the police responsible for allowing the riot to spread without filing FIRs against the four leaders accused of hate speeches, was fishy.

The Centre which is trying to take refuge in collegium’s decision on effecting the transfer of justice Murlidhar was nothing but a midnight surgical strike.” Mr Chowdhury, who had earlier gone to call on the state election commissioner, Sourav Das, urged him to ensure free and fair polls and see to it that the Opposition candidates are able to file their nomination papers and also to ensure that there was no repeat of what happened during the Panchayat polls.

“I have urged him that in view of the upcoming civic polls, the commission should ensure that the opposition candidates can file their nomination papers without any fear and ensure free and fair polls. We don’t want a repetition of what happened during panchayat polls,” the Congress MP said.