Mamata's 'coup' charge at army the lowest of the low: BJP

NEW DELHI: Lashing out at West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee over her "coup" charge at the army, BJP today said making such an allegation is the "lowest of the low" and that she has begun "hallucinating" as demonetisation has rendered illegally acquired crores of rupees of her party worthless.

"No sane politician and certainly not a constitutional head has ever levelled such serious charges against the Indian Army. A routine exercise is being made into a controversy. Such behaviour of Mamata Banerjee cannot be attributed to her maverick nature.

"The demonetisation has certainly unnerved and rattled her. The reason is simple - she lost crores of rupees of unaccounted money earned through various chit fund companies and illegal activities of TMC-patronised syndicates as they became worthless," BJP National Secretary Sidharth Nath Singh said.

It has unnerved her and now she is hallucinating, he said, terming it "unfortunate" that the army had to come up with a proof that they had informed the state administration much ahead of its routine drill.

"BJP condemns outright her accusation that the army was attempting a coup in Bengal. If Mamata Banerjee wishes to be the cheerleader of the anti-demonetisation campaign, holding street protests and theatrics we have no issues, but accusing Indian armed forces is highly deplorable and objectionable," Singh, Bengal co-incharge of the party, said in a statement.

"This is the lowest of the low of Mamata for which she must apologise to the army and her MPs to the nation for stalling Parliament," he said.

Referring to her response so far, including calling demonetisation a financial emergency, demanding its complete rollback, threatening riots and giving 72-hour deadline to the Modi government, he wondered if she needed medical care.

The issue of the army's presence at toll plazas in the state had kicked up a storm with the Chief Minister remaining at the state secretariat overnight in protest, asking was it an "army coup".