KOLKATA: President Droupadi Murmu on Saturday expressed her displeasure with the Mamata Banerjee government over the choice of venue for the ninth International Santhal Conference that was held in West Bengal.
Most of the chairs were lying vacant in Gosainpur where the conference was held. “I don’t think that an International Santhal Conference is being held here. Seeing the vacant audience, I doubt the Santhal community gets any government benefits,” the aggrieved President said.
Referring to the Chief Minister, Murmu said, “I am also a woman from Bengal. But I am not allowed to come here. Mamata-di is like my younger sister. I don’t know what is her grievance against me. However, I have no grievance, no complaints against her.”
Local BJP MP Raju Bista who was present when Murmu was delivering her speech alleged that the state government didn’t make proper arrangements for the programme.
No representative of the ruling Trinamool Congress was present. Local Trinamool leaders alleged that they were not informed about the programme by the organiser.
Murmu later visited Bidhannagar in Darjeeling district where the organisers wanted to hold the event. She said, “I don’t know what was the intention of the administration. I came here comfortably. They (administration) told earlier that this place did not have adequate space for the programme. But I found that around five lakh people could be accommodated here.”
Murmu was earlier scheduled to leave for Darjeeling on Friday morning for a two-day visit. However, her visit was postponed to Saturday following the sudden resignation of the West Bengal Governor C V Ananda Bose on Wednesday. The President has appointed Tamil Nadu Governor R N Ravi as the new Governor of Bengal.