Mamata Banerjee alleges attempt to change constitution spirit

KOLKATA: West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Saturday alleged that there "is an attempt to bulldoze" the federal structure of the country and "change the spirit of the Constitution".

"In the name of one nation-one election, which is proposed, there is one leader and one party now in the country," Banerjee said.

"Media is totally purchased and the judiciary is under political pressure," she alleged, and asked: "Are we moving towards a presidential form of government?"


"No one is above the Constitution, which binds us all," the chief minister said, delivering the keynote address on Saturday at the Calcutta Club The Telegraph National Debate, titled 'Motion: The House believes India does not need a new Constitution'.

Banerjee called for an end of "autocracy and agency raj" and demanded impartial behaviour of the media. The judiciary and media are weak now, she said.

The debaters on Saturday included retired high court judge Sanjib Banerjee, historian Sugata Bose and additional solicitor-general of India Vikramjit Banerjee.

Former Tripura and Meghalaya governor Tathagata Roy, Congress leader Alka Lamba, economist and activist Prasenjit Bose and Roopen Roy, CEO and founder of consulting firm Sumantrana, also participated in the debate.

India has a wonderful Constitution, but it needs to change, said Arghya Sengupta, founder and research director of the Vidhi Centre for Legal Policy and one of the speakers at the event, speaking against the motion.