Mamata cancels Delhi visit
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday cancelled her one-day visit to Delhi to attend a meeting on 'One Nation, one Election' on Tuesday. Addressing a press conference at the state secretariat in Kolkata, Mamata said since she is busy with the budget she cannot attend the meeting in Delhi.
“I have spoken with former President Ramnath Kovind and informed him that I cannot go for the meeting. Our party MPs Sudip Bandhopadhyay and Kalyan Banerjee will attend the meeting on my behalf,” Mamata said, adding, the budget will be presented in two days.
Importantly, the Trinamool Congress chief during her dharna over fund freeze by the Centre said she will visit Delhi for a day to attend the meeting and also mentioned that her visit will be nothing political.
On the other hand, leader of the Opposition in the state assembly Suvendu Adhikari following an urgent call by Union Home Minister Amit Shah visited Delhi on Sunday night, and on Monday, she met the home minister, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitaraman and Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankhar.
Though Adhikari said nothing about his discussion with Shah, sources said they discussed the CAA.
“The CAA will be implemented and the state government and DMs will have no role to play. I have met Nirmala di and complained about the financial corruption in West Bengal. I demanded a probe. I respect Dhankhar, and every time, I come to Delhi I meet him as he played an important role by rescuing people during post-poll violence after the 2021 assembly election,” said Adhikari.
PTI adds Trinamool MP Sukhendu Sekhar Ray alleged that leaders of states ruled by non-NDA parties are being hounded by the central agencies and said Mamata has written to the Committee on ‘One Nation One Election’.
The Trinamool MP claimed the Centre was indulging in “economic blockade” of West Bengal. He alleged disbursal of dues to the tune of Rs1.16 lakh crore has been stopped by the government and said that resources transferred to the states have been subjected to regressive conditions. “A glaring example of federalism is every opposition-ruled state, party leaders are being hounded by the federal agencies. Never in the history of India has this happened.”