Bengal CM skips PM Modi's review meeting, personally submits report

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has skipped a review meeting called by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Kalaikunda. Instead, she personally met the Prime Minister and officially handed over a damage report caused by the Cyclone Yaas in the state.

Kalaikunda: On Friday during his visit to West Bengal to have a firsthand experience on the impact of the cyclone Yaas on the coastal regions of West Bengal, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had convened a review meeting in Kalaikunda in the West Midnapore district.

VIPs who were scheduled to attend the meeting included West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, leader of opposition in West Bengal assembly, Suvendu Adhikari, Governor Jagdeep Dhankar and BJP Lok Sabha member, Debasree Chowdhury.

However, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee remained conspicuous by her absence at the review meeting. Instead, she personally met the Prime Minister briefly before the review meeting and handed him a detailed report on the extent of damages caused by Cyclone Yaas. The Prime Minister has issued a Twitter message expressing his desire to extend all necessary cooperation to West Bengal in this regard.

Officially, the Chief Minister said that she could not attend the review meeting because of her pre-occupations with administrative meetings and visits to affected pockets in the state. However, the state government sources said that the main reason behind her absence was the scheduled visit of Suvendu Adhikari.

"Suvendu Adhikari is yet to be officially nominated by the West Bengal Legislative Assembly as the leader of the opposition. No protocol was followed by inviting him to be present at the meeting. This is an insult to our Chief Minister. So she decided to skip the meeting," a senior Trinamool Congress leader said on condition of anonymity.

Meanwhile, the Chief Minister said that she had no prior knowledge about the review meeting convened by the Prime Minister. "I had a scheduled meeting at Digha. Still, I went to Kalaikunda and submitted the report to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. I told him that I came to meet the Prime Minister because he personally wanted to meet me. Then I left for Digha with his permission," she told a section of the media.

This the first time that the Chief Minister and the Prime Minister came face to face after the 2021 West Bengal assembly polls, where Trinamool, Congress won with a huge majority.

Meanwhile, BJP leader and leader of the opposition in West Bengal Legislative Assembly, Suvendu Adhikari said that it is a dark day for the federal structure of the country. "It is a dark day. Today was the day when the Chief Ministers of all Yaas-affected states should come together and discuss with the Prime Minister on cooperation to tide over the crisis. But the West Bengal CM has once again shown how insensitive she is." The BJP leader said.