Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee will fly to Delhi on Tuesday where she will meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday to discuss a whole lot of administrative issues, including the unfulfilled financial and other demands of the State Government, sources at State secretariat Nabanna said.
Mamata Banerjee’s sudden visit to Delhi comes against the backdrop of ongoing battle between BJP and TMC over National Register for Citizens and mounting CBI pressure on former Kolkata Police Commissioner Rajiv Kumar who reportedly remained “incommunicado” for the third day on Monday after losing the shield against arrest in Calcutta HC. Kumar is being investigated for his role in the preliminary round of investigations in the Saradha chit fund case.
The Prime Minister is likely to meet Banerjee at 4 pm on Wednesday, sources said whereafter she will return to Kolkata on Thursday, Nabanna sources said adding “an appointment was sought by the Chief Minister's office last week for a meeting with the Prime Minister … it will take place in New Delhi on Wednesday,” sources said adding among a “whole lot of issues State’s long pending demands” could be discussed.
With the Chief Minister being Modi’s staunchest of critics the two leaders are likely to meet each other after a yawning gap of about 18 months. The last time they met for a few moments was at Vishwa Bharati (Shantiniketan) in 2018 where the Prime Minister had come to attend an official programme.
The Wednesday’s meeting assumes significance not only against the backdrop of steadily deteriorating chemistry between the two leaders but also against the CBI’s tightening noose around senior IPS officer Rajiv Kumar who is currently functioning as the Additional Director General of CID.
On whether Banerjee would also raise the issue of NRC with the Prime Minister TMC sources said “there is nothing new in a Chief Minister of an opposition party meeting the Prime Minister. No politics should be seen in it. Didi will raise a range of issues including State’s pending demands.”
