Political circles abuzz ahead of Mamata-Modi meeting
NEWDELHI/KOLKATA: West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee is likely to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi on Wednesday, people familiar with the matter said, setting political circles abuzz in West Bengal.
Trianmool Congress (TMC) leaders aware of the developments said Banerjee is expected to arrive in Delhi on Tuesday. Speaking on condition of anonymity, a TMC leader familiar with the matter said Banerjee plans to discuss “administrative issues” with Modi. “The chief minister wants to keep political matters and administrative issues separate. This appointment was sought earlier and has no connection with any recent incident.”
Another TMC leader said during the meeting, the chief minister might also protest against Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders demanding a National Register of Citizens (NRC) in Bengal.
Bengal’s Opposition parties, however, attacked the state government over the timing of the meeting, which comes against the backdrop of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) seeking custody of former Kolkata Police commissioner Rajeev Kumar as part of its probe into the Saradha chit fund case.
“Rajeev Kumar has nearly ruined his career by trying to suppress misdeeds of Bengal’s ruling party leaders.
Now that the noose around him has tightened and other officers in Mamata Banerjee’ government have started to panic, she is out to protect her nephew (and Lok Sabha MP Abhishek Banerjee) and herself. It is easy to see that Rajeev Kumar is the stepping stone to Kalighat (where the chief minister stays),” said Left legislator Sujan Chakraborty.
According to Opposition leaders, the meeting between Modi and Mamata was a “part of the political match-fixing” between the BJP and the TMC in West Bengal.
“It is difficult to understand when they [BJP and TMC] fall out and when they patch up,” said Congress legislator Manoj Chakravarti.