Mamata Banerjee slams Home Minister Rajnath Singh for meeting elusive GJM leader Roshan Giri

KOLKATA: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee today criticised Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh for meeting GJM general secretary Roshan Giri despite the lookout notice against him.

"I know that a lookout notice was issued against him (Roshan Giri). When a lookout notice is there, then generally it (meeting the person against whom it has been issued) should not be done," Banerjee told reporters at the state secretariat today.

A delegation of Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM), which has been spearheading an agitation for a separate Gorkhaland, had met Singh yesterday.

Accompanied by the BJP's Lok Sabha member from Darjeeling, S S Ahluwalia, they had met Singh and sought tripartite talks involving the Centre, West Bengal government and the GJM to resolve the festering Gorkhaland issue. Giri was said to be in the delegation.

"The post of the Home Minister is a constitutional post. They are doing what they consider is right. But if I was in their place, I would not have done so," she said.

Asked about the delay in arresting Giri, She said police would do that at the first opportunity.

The state CID had earlier this month issued lookout notices against three GJM leaders - its supremo Bimal Gurung, leader Prakash Gurung, besides Giri.