Published 16:32 IST, September 16th 2019
Mamata Banerjee likely to meet PM Modi in Delhi on Wednesday
Sources in the WB state Secretariat confirmed that Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee was likely to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi on Wednesday.
Sources in the West Bengal (WB) state Secretariat confirmed on Monday said that Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee was likely to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi. This meeting would take place on Wednesday. According to a government official, the CM’s office sought an official appointment with the PM in the week before. The likelihood of Banerjee departing for the national capital on Tuesday is very high. Both leaders would hold discussions on administrative issues of WB.
CM Mamata one of BJP's harshest critics
Mamata Banerjee has been one of the fiercest critics of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Central government since 2014. The proposed meeting assumes significance because of this very reason. At this juncture, many leaders of Banerjee led Trinamool Congress and former Kolkata police commissioner Rajeev Kumar are under the scanner of the Central Bureau of Investigation in connection in relation to the Saradha Ponzi scam. Basically, the Saradha group of companies promised a higher rate of interest on investments. Subsequently, they had been accused of duping thousands of people to the tune of Rs.2500 crore. The last meeting between PM Modi and Banerjee was at the convocation ceremony at the Visva Bharati University in Shantiniketan, WB on May 25, 2018.
Banerjee’s crusade against the government
On September 12, she led a huge rally from Sinthi More to Shyambazar in North Kolkata, protesting the implementation of the National Register of Citizens (NRC) process. Describing NRC as a ‘fiasco’, she claimed that the entire process was carried out with an ulterior motive. She also empathized with the Bengali speaking people, who allegedly suffered the brunt of the NRC. Armed with the resolution passed by the West Bengal Assembly, Banerjee warned against any move to conduct the NRC in WB. On Hindi Diwas, the WB CM disagreed with Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s remark that Hindi was the only unifying language of the country. She commented that no one should forget their own mother tongue while learning other languages. On Sunday, she hit out at the Centre claiming that a ‘Super Emergency’ had been imposed in India.
(With PTI inputs)
Updated 17:24 IST, September 16th 2019