Detractors mock as a mellowed down version of Mamata leaves everyone surprised
New Delhi, Sep 19 The BJP leaders and also others feel it was a 'different' Mamata Banerjee in the national capital when she met Prime Minister Narendra Modi, invited him for a coal block project inauguration in her state and also expressed keenness to meet Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
It was like a 'surrender' by a firebrand leader, say many detractors of Trinamool Congress supremo and West Bengal Chief Minister.
"It was a case of Mamata Banerjee looking to see a doctor, seeking his help and the senior doctor then deciding to send her to the junior doctor," Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said in reference to Ms Banerjee's decision to meet Mr Shah after her meeting with Prime Minister on Wednesday.
After her meeting with Mr Modi, the West Bengal Chief Minister said she would be keen to meet Mr Shah.
''If I get time, I will meet Mr Shah tomorrow,'' she said.
The proposed meeting between Ms Banerjee and Amit Shah can take place around 1330 hours.
"In natural course, if Mamata Banerjee wanted to discuss only development matters after meeting Prime Minister, she should go to Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman. So the issue is different," said Mr Chowdhury.
Several other leaders have also flayed Ms Banerjee for taking a 'selfish' route vis-a-vis progress in the probe in the Saradha chit fund case and the interest of the state.
The Left leaders in West Bengal have questioned Ms Banerjee's silence on National Register of Citizens (NRC) exercise when she met Prime Minister.
"Only a few days back, Ms Banerjee staged a street protest in Kolkata saying she will not allow NRC in Bengal, but when she met Prime Minister she did not raise the issue and later said NRC is only an issue for the state of Assam. Then why was she protesting over it in Kolkata?," asked CPI-M leader Sujan Chakraborty.
After her meeting with Prime Minister, Ms Banerjee had said that NRC did not figure in talks as it was only an issue for the state of Assam based on the agreement the Assam Accord signed in 1985.
The meeting on Wednesday between Mr Modi and the Chief Minister came within days the CBI dragnet almost touched former police commissioner Rajeev Kumar in the Saradha chit fund case. The cop is absconding during last few days.
Apparently looking for rapprochement with the central BJP leadership whom she bitterly attacked, Trinamool Congress supremo on Wednesday invited Prime Minister to attend a coal block function in Birbhum district in October and also gave a freehand to the centre to 'make suggestions' for changing the name of West Bengal.
"Keeping the word Bangla, if they some suggestion to make; I will not have any objection to accept it," she has said adding "This was a good meeting....I had not visited Prime Minister after he became Prime Minister for the second time".
However, Bengal BJP chief Dilip Ghosh said perhaps the Chief Minister's gesture is coming "too late". Another Bengal BJP leader Rahul Sinha also made light of her meeting with Prime Minister and said: "Mamata Banerjee did not meet Prime Minster for any state related works. She met him only to save her party (on Saradha chit fund case)".
After Oppn brickbats for 'silence', Mamata raises NRC bogey with Shah
"I have submitted a letter to Home Minister on the fate of 19 lakhs people excluded from Assam NRC,'' Ms Banerjee told reporters trying to imply there was no reference to the controversy on NRC exercise in her state of west Bengal.
In fact, the Left leaders have questioned Ms Banerjee's silence on National Register of Citizens (NRC) exercise when she met the Prime Minister.
"Only a few days back, Ms Banerjee staged a street protest in Kolkata saying she will not allow NRC in Bengal, but when she met Prime Minister she did not raise the issue and later said NRC is only an issue for the state of Assam. Then why was she protesting over it in Kolkata?," asked CPI-M leader Sujan Chakraborty.
After her meeting with the Prime Minister, Ms Banerjee had said on Wednesday that the NRC issue did not figure in talks as it was only a matter for the state of Assam based on the agreement - the Assam Accord - signed in 1985.
But later Trinamool sources said Ms Banerjee told Home Minister that there was no logic for NRC exercise in West Bengal as is being propagated by a section of BJP leaders.
"With regard Assam and NRC exercise undertaken in the northeastern state, Mamata Didi pointed out that Hindi, Bengali and Gorkhali speaking people have been left of the exercise," a source told UNI.
Ms Banerjee also said her stand on the NRC in Bengal was the "same" as Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar as "we do not need NRC in these two states", the sources added.
However, sources maintained the issue of conducting NRC in Bengal in specific sense did not figure at the half-an-hour long meeting.
In her first meeting with Mr Shah, whom she had questioned once saying 'who is Amit Shah to speak about Bengal'; Ms Banerjee said - "lives of NRC affected people are uncertain".
"It was explained to Home Minister that as a Chief Minister of a border state sharing boundaries with Bangladesh, Bhutan and Nepal, it was her duty to speak on matters concerning such people," the Trinamool source said.
Ms Banerjee's meeting with Prime Minister Modi and Mr Shah came after the developments related to Saradha Chit fund case in which former Kolkata Police Commissioner Rajeev Kumar has come under the CBI scanner.
Trinamool detractors, including Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, have in last two days alleged that it was like a 'surrender' by a firebrand leader, who has been always trying to champion the cause anti-BJP politics in West Bengal and at the national level.
"It was a case of Mamata Banerjee looking to see a doctor, seeking his help and the senior doctor then deciding to send her to the junior doctor," Mr Chowdhury has said in reference to Ms Banerjee's decision to meet Mr Shah after her meeting with Prime Minister on Wednesday.
The Lok Sabha elections witnessed fiercest of contests between BJP and Trinamool and the rivalry was so intense that even Mr Shah's chopper was denied landing permission in Bengal during the height of election campaign.
Seen on a peace mission, Mamata gives centre freehand to suggest 'new name' for Bengal
New Delhi, Sep 18 (UNI) Apparently looking for rapprochement with the central BJP leadership whom she bitterly attacked, Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday invited Prime Minister Narendra Modi to attend a coal bloc function in Birbhum district in October and also gave a freehand to the centre to 'make suggestions' for changing the name of West Bengal.
"We have passed a resolution to change the name of West Bengal thrice. So, I told him today, if you have any change to suggest or alter and add anything but keeping the word Bangla intact, they can do it," Ms Banerjee told reporters in Bangla after her much talked about meeting at PM's official residence at 7 Lok Kalyan Marg.
The meeting on Wednesday came within days the CBI dragnet almost touched former police commissioner Rajeev Kumar in the Saradha chit fund case.
She also had kept herself away from attending Prime Minister's swearing in ceremony for the second time on May 30 and in June boycotted a Niti Aayog meeting as well.
"Keeping the word Bangla, if they some suggestion to make; I will not have any objection to accept it," she said.
"This was a good meeting....I had not visited Prime Minister after he became Prime Minister for the second time," said Ms Banerjee. However, Bengal BJP chief Dilip Ghosh said perhaps the Chief Minister's gesture is coming "too late".
"It is good that her (Mamata Banerjee's) good sense has at last prevailed. But I think it's too late," Mr Ghosh said in Kolkata.
".....all those who have looted public money or have aided the culprits will have to go behind the bars," said Mr Ghosh, also an ardent critic of Ms Banerjee.
Incidentally, the meeting between PM Modi and Ms Banerjee came at a time when the Saradha chit fund probe case has taken an interesting turn with a number of Trinamool Congress leaders and onetime Ms Banerjee's trusted aide and former Kolkata police commissioner Rajeev Kumar falling under the scanner of ongoing probe.
However, Trinamool sources said there was no time to talk about matters relating to the functioning of central agencies including CBI - which is probing the Saradha Chit fund case.
Ms Banerjee said she is keen to meet the Union Home Minister as well. ''If I get time, I will meet Mr Shah tomorrow,'' she said and maintained the Home Minister is in Jharkhand.
Brushing aside their bitter political differences, the Chief Minister took a rather surprising stance and invited the Prime Minister to attend a coal bloc function in Birbhum district. The project is worth Rs 12,000 crore.
''This coal bloc will give jobs to many people,'' she remarked.
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