Mamata sits overnight in dharna against govt, raises political temperature

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee sat overnight in front of Dalit icon Dr B R Ambedkar's statue on Red Road in the heart of the metropolis, surrounded by a cohort of TMC leaders and workers under television camera arclights.

Banerjee, who is staging a two-day sit-in to protest alleged discrimination by the Centre against the state, had Wednesday in a change of stance urged all political parties in the country to unitedly fight the BJP in next year's Lok Sabha election.

This is a departure from an earlier decision to remain equidistant from both the Congress and the right-wing party ruling India's federal polity.

The Trinamool Congress supremo was accompanied by several party leaders, including Firhad Hakim and Aroop Biswas at the protest site.

Banerjee's 30-hour demonstration is likely to end around 7 pm on Thursday.

Security measures in and around the venue were tightened keeping in mind the presence of high-profile leaders, a senior officer of Kolkata Police said.

Bane