Kolkata (West Bengal): West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has not been invited to Union Home Minister Amit Shah's scheduled cultural programme at the Victoria Memorial on Friday. According to sources in the Chief Minister's office, the State Government is yet to receive an invitation for the Chief Minister for the programme organised by the Union Information and Culture Ministry.
They further revealed that although West Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar will be present on the occasion, Banerjee who is also Information and Culture Minister, is yet to be invited. However, the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) refused to attach much importance to the issue. According to Trinamool Congress spokesperson Tapas Roy, no more courtesy can be expected from the BJP government.
However, BJP's national vice president Dilip Ghosh asked whether the Chief Minister invites elected public representatives to her administrative meetings in the districts. "When the chief minister holds meetings in districts, the opposition MPs, MLAs and councillors are often ignored. Still, Trinamool is questioning why the chief minister was not invited? This is a programme of the Ministry of Information and Culture, so it is up to them to decide who will be invited. However, It is good if she doesn't turn up. Someone may chant Jai Shri Ram, which may not be to her liking," said Ghosh.
Shah will visit Bengal on Thursday. He will attend multiple events in north and south Bengal during the visit. Besides these, he will hold several political meetings at his Rajarhat hotel on Friday. The Home Minister is scheduled to attend a cultural event at the Victoria Memorial organised by the Information and Culture ministry in the evening.
Also read:Amit Shah on 2-day West Bengal visit from Thursday
