Kolkata: Blame and counter blame between Trinamool Congress (TMC) and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) intensified a day after the West Bengal chief minister skipped a Cyclone Yaas review meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Mamata alleged on Saturday that the PMO “humiliated” her and “tarnished her image by posting tweets” on the meeting.
BJP’s Suvendu Adhikari hit back, accusing the chief minister of lying and stating that it was Mamata and state chief secretary Alapan Bandopadhyay who had insulted the PM.
Stating that she felt “insulted,” Mamata questioned the presence of BJP leaders and Governor Jagdeep Dhankar at the review meeting when it was meant to be between the PM and the CM.
“I did meet the PM,” she said, adding that she handed over the state’s assessment report to Modi and took his permission before she and Alapan left the venue as they had to go to Digha.
“If the prime minister asks me to touch his feet for the welfare of the people of Bengal, I am ready to do that, but I should not be insulted,” Mamata continued, adding that the meeting had started when they reached.
“They asked us to sit… I asked them to allow us a minute to submit the report. But the SPG told us that the meeting will be after one hour. I saw empty chairs in conference room… I was told that the meeting was between the CM and the PM, but why were there other BJP leaders?” Mamata argued.
Mamata’s former trusted aide Suvendu, who beat the CM in a close contest frtom Nandigram constituency in the recent assembly elections, said he had “no word” to criticise the way West Bengal’s CM and chief secretary “insulted” the PM.
“Yesterday, after the aerial survey (of Cyclone Yaas aftermath) in West Bengal, there was a review meeting in East Midnapore, but CM Mamata Banerjee and the administration made the PM wait for 30 minutes. It was a breach of constitutional integrity and was shameful,” Suvendu said.
Accusing Mamata of resorting to lies to satisfy her ego, Leader of Opposition Suvendu said: “Today the CM said she didn’t attend the meeting due to the presence of opposition leaders.”
Terming her statements as “fabricated and unmindful of the people of the state,” Suvendu said that chief ministers of Odisha and West Bengal were both informed about meeting with PM through the same process. “She is only making up excuses for not attending the meeting.”
Shortly after Mamata and the chief secretary left Modi’s meeting, the Centre recalled the latter to serve in New Delhi. It came four days after the Centre had approved a proposal by the state to extend Alapan’s tenure by three months.
