'As if I am their servant': Mamata hits at Centre for not getting proper invitation to Netaji statue event

The Union Cultural Minister, too, seemed to have found no time to write to me. I didn't go. I garlanded Netaji’s statue in Kolkata this afternoon,’’ said Mamata.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee 

Kolkata: Slamming the centre for "lack of decency" in sending an invite to her, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said on Thursday that she did not attend the unveiling ceremony of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose’s statue in New Delhi. She also made it a point that an undersecretary is not supposed to write to a CM inviting him or her.

"I got a letter yesterday from an undersecretary saying the PM will inaugurate the Netaji statue at 7 pm and you must be there at 6 pm. As if I am their servant. How can an undersecretary write to a Chief Minister? This reflects a lack of decency. The Union Cultural Minister, too, seemed to have found no time to write to me. So, I didn’t go. I garlanded Netaji’s statue in Kolkata this afternoon,’’ said Mamata while addressing a gathering of elected representatives in Panchayat in Netaji Indoor Stadium.

At a time when Bengal’s ruling party is facing the heat of alleged corruption and scam, being probed by the CBI and Enforcement Directorate (ED), Mamata issued an instruction asking not to recommend for any job in letterheads.

"Do not recommend a job for anyone on your letterheads. Do not discuss issues over the phone. If you have anything important to communicate, do it by meeting face-to-face. The personnel of Intelligence Bureau (IB) in districts are basically BJP’s eyes and ears,’’ she said.

Mamata’s comment appeared to be significant as the ED while conducting a search at the residence of arrested former TMC minister Partha Chatterjee in connection with an alleged scam in recruitment in schools, recovered letterheads in which district-level functionaries of the ruling party recommended jobs in schools.

Mamata, once again, stood by the side of Birbhum’s TMC strongman Anubrata Mondal, who was arrested by the CBI in a cattle smuggling case. "They (BJP) think they will win two Lok Sabha seats in the district by throwing Kesto (Mondal) behind the bars. But their dream will be shattered,’’ said Mamata.

The TMC supremo, however, preferred to maintain distance with her former minister Chatterjee by removing him from his posts in the cabinet and suspending him from the party.

Criticising Mamata for her support for Mondal, BJP’s national vice-president Dilip Ghosh said, "She realised that if Mondal starts speaking out before the central agency, it will invite trouble for her. This is why she is supporting Mondal.’’