West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has said she will not attend the swearing-in ceremony of Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday as the BJP is spreading information which is “untrue.’
Congratulating Mr. Modi, Ms. Banerjee said in a tweet that it was her “plan to attend the oath-taking ceremony. However, I am seeing media reports that the BJP [is] claiming 54 people have been murdered in political violence in Bengal. This is completely untrue.”
She said, “These deaths may have occurred due to personal enmity, family quarrels and other disputes.”
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Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik is also not attending as his presence is required at the swearing-in of the new Assembly members on Thursday.
“The ceremony is an august occasion to celebrate democracy, not one that should be devalued by any political party which uses it as an opportunity to score political points. Please excuse me.”
Her initial decision to go to Delhi indicated that both sides are trying to calm down the pitch of campaign that got severely amplified during the elections, hurting Centre-State relations. The new development indicates that the fight between the parties will continue for now.
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