Acknowledging that it is her “constitutional duty” to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has said that she will continue to resist the Central government’s policies to reduce funds in social welfare schemes. She will ask for a “rehabilitation package” from Mr. Modi for tens of thousands of people, who may arrive from the enclaves in Bangladesh after the ratification of the Land Boundary Agreement and insist on relaxing the debt burden on the State.
The Prime Minister will arrive in Kolkata on a two-day tour of Bengal on Saturday, first time since coming to power.
Ms. had maintained a good distance from Prime Minister Narendra Modi since last Lok Sabha elections. However, the party was exposed to severe pressure, owing to alleged involvement of several Ministers and MPs in multi-crore financial scams, Ms Banerjee slowly changed her position in relation to the BJP. Over last couple of months she had not only met Mr Modi in Delhi but also supported the crucial bills, including Goods and Services Tax (GST) Bill, on Wednesday.
On the day, while concurring that it is her “constitutional duty” to meet the PM, in her trademark style, she blamed the media for her change of position. “When I don’t meet the PM, media says I am always fighting. When I meet him, they say we have a deal,” Ms Banerjee said, while addressing a meeting of the newly-elected councillors and civic body chiefs.
Describing her forthcoming meeting with the Prime Minister – first time in Bengal that has more than 20% Muslim votes – Ms Banerjee indicated that the meeting is an endeavour to strengthen “the federal structure of India.” She also reminded her colleagues that “some people are trying to incite communal tension” in the State and bracketed “CPI-M-Congress-BJP-ABP (media house)” to underscore that she still has her enemies working against her interest.
Memorandum to PM
Ms Banerjee yesterday had said that she will give a memorandum to the Prime Minister during his weekend visit outlining her basic demand of enhancing funds in the social sector.
