Mamata Banerjee To Meet PM Modi In New Delhi Today With ‘Bangla’ Aspirations

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee will meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi at 4:30 pm on Wednesday. “An appointment was sought by the chief minister’s office last week for an appointment from Modi’s office for the meeting. It will take place in New Delhi on Wednesday,” an official said. The West Bengal CM is likely to take up matters pertaining to central funds that are due to the state. According to reports, administrative issues of West Bengal will also be on agenda when both leaders meet in New Delhi. 

“I go to New Delhi very rarely. This is a routine work. This time I am going to talk about funds that are due to West Bengal. I will also highlight issues like change of West Bengal's name”, Mamata told reporters in Kolkata. She may also take up the issue of changing West Bengal's name to Bangla. In July 2018, the West Bengal Legislative Assembly passed a resolution to change the state's name to "Bangla" from West Bengal.

However, BJP called it a “classic example of opportunistic politics” and “a desperate attempt to save herself from the clutches of CBI”. The meeting comes at a crucial time when several leaders of the ruling Trinamool Congress and former Kolkata police commissioner Rajeev Kumar are under CBI scanner in connection with the Saradha ponzi scam.

The Trinamool Congress has been opposing centre’s move to implement NRC in West Bengal calling it an act of dividing people on ‘religious’ and ‘caste’ lines. 

Last time, the meeting between both the leaders took place at the convocation ceremony of Visva Bharati University held in Shantiniketan on May 25, 2018.

Earlier, Banerjee did not attend Modi’s swearing in ceremony when he came at the helm of affairs for the second time in May this year. She had also kept away from the Niti Ayog meeting in June.

The CPI(M) and the Congress leadership said the proposed meeting between Modi and Banerjee is a part of “political match fixing” that the Trinamool and BJP are indulging in in Bengal.