Mamata Banerjee slams Modi govt, claims country facing super emergency

Kolkata: Taking an aim at the Central government, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Sunday said there was a state of "super emergency" in the country and called upon people to do everything it takes to "protect rights and freedoms" guaranteed by the Constitution.

Wishing citizens on the occasion of International Day of Democracy, Banerjee asked people to take a pledge to safeguard the constitutional values envisaged by the founding fathers of the nation.

"On International Day of Democracy today, let us once again pledge to safeguard the constitutional values our country was founded on. In this era of 'Super Emergency', we must do all it takes to protect the rights and freedoms that our Constitution guarantees," she tweeted.

The Bengal Chief Minister has been highly critical of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government and has on several occasions accused it of snatching the autonomy of constitutional institutions and muzzling dissent.

In May, during Lok Sabha election campaign, Banerjee said she felt "like giving one tight slap of democracy" to PM Modi.