A political confrontation erupted between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Sunday over alleged mismanagement at an event attended by President Droupadi Murmu in Siliguri.
Speaking at an International Women's Day programme in Delhi, the Prime Minister criticised the Trinamool Congress government in West Bengal. Soon after, Mamata Banerjee responded from her protest stage at Dharmatala in Kolkata.
At the New Delhi event, PM Modi accused the Trinamool Congress of insulting the President. "The dirty politics of insulting a tribal President and the arrogance of power will be shattered. The people of West Bengal will never forgive TMC's heinous politics," he said.
Mamata Banerjee responds from dharna stage
Shortly after the remarks, Mamata Banerjee addressed supporters from the protest stage at Dharmatala. During her response, she displayed a photograph related to the Bharat Ratna ceremony of veteran BJP leader Lal Krishna Advani.
In the image, Prime Minister Modi was seen seated beside Advani during the award presentation, while the President was standing. CM Banerjee questioned why the President had not been honoured by standing up at the time.
The photograph was shown to the crowd by state minister Birbaha Hansda and Trinamool MP June Malia from the stage.
The Chief Minister also repeated her earlier position regarding the Siliguri event. "We respect the chair. It's being said that we didn't show any respect to the President. How can you say that? Our mayor (Siliguri mayor Gautam Deb) had gone there. I am here at the dharna stage. How could I leave the dharna and go? Before the dharna, I was not fully aware of your (President's) program. I am fighting here for people's voting rights... I have presented evidence. Do I need to say anything more than this?" she said.
Controversy over Siliguri event
The controversy began after President Murmu attended an event on Saturday near Bagdogra in Siliguri. The programme was organised by the International Santhal Council at a field in Gosaipur.
According to reports, organisers had initially sought permission from the administration to hold the event at the Bidhannagar ground. However, the request was not approved due to security concerns.
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After attending the event, the President reportedly raised several concerns about the management of the programme. Following those remarks, leaders of the Bharatiya Janata Party began criticising the West Bengal government over the alleged mismanagement.
The exchange between the Prime Minister and the Chief Minister has intensified the political debate around the incident.
