Team News Riveting
Kolkata, May 28
As anticipated, a high voltage drama unfolded in West Bengal when Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee made country’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi to wait and finally skipped the meeting convened to review the damage caused by Cyclone Yaas.
The Chief Minister sidelined the protocol even as the meeting was official. The Prime Minister conducted an aerial survey of Odisha and West Bengal where the impact of the Cyclone was more. He was scheduled to hold meetings with both state governments.
After holding a meeting in Odisha that was attended by Odisha Chief Minister, Naveen Patnaik and top officials of state government, Modi reached Kalaikunda Air Base in West Midnapore. Neither the Chief Minister of Bengal nor the Chief Secretary reportedly came to receive the Prime Minister.
As per the schedule, Modi along with the Governor, Central Ministers and senior officials of Government of India reached for the meeting. They waited for Mamata Banerjee and state government officials to review the Cyclone damage in West Bengal for over half-an-hour. The Chief Minister later turned up with the Chief Secretary, handed over the report and left without attending the meeting.
She later tweeted: After having review meetings in Hingalganj & Sagar, I met the Hon’ble PM in Kalaikunda & apprised him regarding the post-cyclone situation in WB. The disaster report has been handed over for his perusal. I’ve proceeded now to review the relief & restoration work at Digha.”
Surprisingly, a large number of people castigated her for the act by responding to her tweet. One said, “Later don’t blame the PM. You have only one state to look after; he has the responsibility to look after all the states. You have time to do Dharanas, you have time to go to the EC, CBI office with MLA’s but you don’t have time to attend the meeting on cyclone with the PM. God bless you!!” Another added that she doesn’t attend meetings related to Covid. She doesn’t attend meetings related to cyclones, but she blames everything on Centre for her failures to tackle any of these issues.
The picture of empty seats reserved for the West Bengal Chief Minister and officials figured prominently in the social media. A youth tweeted, “This picture will haunt Bengal people for many decades. No future of Bengal in the next 5 year. Big loss for Bengal.” Most opined that Mamata Banerjee open clash with the Centre in the pretext of targeting Narendra Modi would not be in the interest of West Bengal.
Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar said, “It would have served the interests of the state and its people for the CM and officials to attend the Review Meet by PM. Confrontational stance ill serve the interests of State or democracy. Non participation by CM and officials not in sync with constitutionalism or rule of law.”
Sources said Union Minister from Bengal Debashree Chaudhury and Leader of Opposition in Bengal assembly Suvendu Adhikari were also invited for the review meeting. Banerjee was irked with the decision to invite Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari, her former aide who switched to the BJP. Adhikari had defeated Mamata and she was not a member of West Bengal Assembly right now despite holding the Chief Minister’s post.
“Today is a dark day in India’s long-standing ethos of cooperative federalism, a principle held sacred by PM @narendramodi. CM @MamataOfficial has shown once again that she is insensitive to the sufferings of the people of West Bengal,” Adhikari said in his tweet, adding that the way Didi behaved with PM reflects her dictatorial nature and lack of respect for constitutional values. Instead of working with the PM for the betterment of West Bengal, she is indulging in petty politics. Her skipping the meeting is disgusting.
