‘Sour’ CAA, NRC Topics Take A Back Seat As Mamata Meets Amit Shah Over Lunch

Bhubaneswar: It was a sumptuous spread of authentic Odia delicacy, but West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee stuck to ‘raita’ for lunch.

“I don’t take lunch but I was there to honour the Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik and Home Minister Amit Shah,” she was quoted as saying by India Today.

After the Eastern Zonal Council (EZC) meeting, Mamata along with Amit Shah, Oil Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and Bihar chief minster Nitish Kumar had lunch at Naveen Niwas. They were served authentic Odia cuisine and the spread included, baigan fry, aloo mutter masala (Odia style), gucchi paneer, dal, tomato chatni, papad, roti, boondi raita, rice and machha besar (fish curry with mustard gravy).

Chhena poda and rasa malai as dessert completed the meal.

It was courtesy Naveen that the arch rivals, Mamata and Shah, who never spared an opportunity to take potshot at each other, discussed anything but Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) or the NRC.

This sweetness prevailed even at the EZC meeting, where no reference was made to these contentious issues.

“Neither they raised the issues nor did I. It was also not on the agenda. This meeting was not for that,” she said.

However, Mamata did raise the issue of violence in Delhi. “I am very sad about what happened in Delhi. A police constable and an IB official also died. Peace must be restored in Delhi,” she said.

Taking a dig at Congress, which had been demanding the resignation of the Union Home Minister, she said this was no time to hanker for political traction.

Mamata also requested the Centre to clear the state dues, which included matching grant for social welfare schemes, allotment for Fani cyclone and GST compensation.