Trinamul Congress MLAs demonstrate in front of the Raj Bhavan on Friday against the deployment of Army personnel at toll booths. (Photo: Abhijit Mukherjee)

Kolkata: Trinamul Congress ministers and MLAs on Friday sat on a dharna outside Raj Bhavan protesting the Narendra Modi government’s attempt to “subvert democracy” in the state and weakening the federal structure by deploying Army in Bengal without informing the state government.

Following a legislature party meeting, a delegation of Trinamul ministers and MLAs, led by education minister Partha Chatterjee, went to the Raj Bhavan around 1.15 pm.

Upon reaching, the delegation was informed that the governor, Kesari Nath Tripathi, was not present. The TMC leaders sat on the road outside Raj Bhavan, raising anti-Modi slogans. “We came here to protest against the unconstitutional manner in which the Modi government deployed Army at toll plazas,” party’s chief whip in the Assembly Nirmal Ghosh said.

Mr Chatterjee spoke to Mr Tripathi over the phone who informed him that he was in Delhi and that he would meet the delegation on Saturday. After staging a dharna for nearly two hours, the legislators left.

Later, at the state secretariat Nabanna, Mr Chatterjere launched a scathing attack against Mr Modi. “The manner in which Modi babu has been using the Army to serve his political purpose has never been done in India before,” he said.

Reacting sharply to Ms Banerjee’s outburst against the “routine Army exercise”, state BJP president Dilip Ghosh said it was the CM’s “usual drama”. “Her attempt to emerge as a national leader by addressing rallies in Delhi, UP and Bihar against demonetisation has miserably failed. There has been lukewarm response in other states. She is trying to remain in the news by crying foul at the delayed landing of her flight from Patna or on routine Army exercise at toll plazas,” he said.