Parrikar, Mamata locked in spat over Army drill

THE POLITICAL row over the recent Army drill at toll plazas in West Bengal flared up again on Friday with Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar dashing off a letter to Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, saying her allegations can “adversely” impact the morale of the force and the Trinamool Congress chief hitting back over his “wild assertion”.

In the two-page letter, Parrikar told Mamata that he was “deeply pained” over the allegations regarding the deployment of the Army personnel and that it was not expected from a person of her standing and experience in public life. Parrikar said that while political parties and politicians may have the luxury of making “wild and unsubstantiated allegations against each other”, one needs to be careful while referring to the armed forces.

Terming it as an “avoidable controversy” — the exercise carried out by the Eastern Command in West Bengal and other states to collect information about the movement of heavy vehicles at toll gates — Parrikar, in his letter to Mamata dated December 8, said such exercises have been undertaken by Army across the country for several years.

“Ihavebeenpainedbyyourallegationsasreportedinthemedia. If only you had enquired with the agencies concerned of the state government, you would have cometoknowoftheextensivecorrespondence between the Army and the state agencies, including thejointinspectionofsitescarried out by them,” Parrikar wrote.

Describing the Army as the “most disciplined institution of the country”, he said the nation is proud of their “professionalism and apolitical conduct”.

Hitting back, Mamata said, “My complaint was not against the Army. It was against your government and the government policy, as they act under your directions. We have great respect for their nationalism,” she said in her two-page letter to Parrikar.

Sheexpressedsurpriseathow Parrikar’s letter addressed to her wasflashedontheelectronicmedia hours before it reached her.

Mamata said that in her long political and administrative life, shehad“neverseensuchpolitical vendetta by misusing the role of an esteemed organisation... I take strong exception to your wild assertion that my articulation of the rightsofthestategovernmentvisa-vis Army deployment without clearance has impacted the morale of the armed forces... Your general observations about political parties and politicians to have theluxuryofmakingwildandunsubstantiated allegations may be apt for your party, but we do not belong to that group,” she added.