KOLKATA: A fresh political difference between the ruling CPM and the Opposition Trinamool Congress surfaced on Wednesday.
Kolkata Metro Railway authorities, a wing of the Indian Railways, headed by Mamata Banerjee, did not invite West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee for attending the foundation stone-laying ceremony of a railway project of `2,619 crore.
President Pratibha Patil laid the foundation stone of the proposed Kolkata Metro Railway’s Joka-BBD Bag line in the presence of Union Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee and Union Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee. Trinamool Congress central Ministers and MPs were also present. But no state minister attended the function.
With the advancement of the state Assembly election, which is slated in 2011, the political difference between the CPM and Trinamool Congress has been increasing day by day.
According to sources in Writers’ Buildings, the Kolkata Metro Railway authorities had invited only the State Transport Minister Ranjit Kundu. The invitation was sent after he left his office on Tuesday evening. “The invitation letter was delivered at the eleventh hour. There was no question of attending the programme considering the indecent manner in which the invitation has been accorded. It involves the prestige of the state government,” he said.
However, speaking on the occasion, the President said that the urban population across the world has been increasing. “India too has a growing urban population. As the population of cities grow, it is essential to have mass transport and transit systems that will facilitate movement within the city. In their absence, city dwellers would depend on private transportation, leading to congestion, pollution and more fuel consumption.”