KOLKATA: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is likely not to attend the inauguration ceremony of three new Metro routes in Kolkata on Friday. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate these routes from a programme in Dum Dum for which Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnav has sent a letter inviting the Chief Minister.
According to sources at Nabanna, the state administrative headquarters, the Chief Minister has decided to skip sharing dais with the Prime Minister to mark her protest against the alleged harassment and torture of Bengali-speaking workers from West Bengal in various BJP-ruled states. Upping the ante against the BJP on this issue, Banerjee has alleged that the saffron party has unleashed “terrorism on the Bengali language”. The Trinamool Congress has already taken a series of programmes aimed at protecting the ‘Bengali asmita’ (Bengali identity).
In addition, the West Bengal government as well the Trinamool Congress are vocal against the ‘central deprivation’ towards the state in releasing funds in different projects. The Chief Minister wants to mark her protest against this step motherly attitude of the Centre by skipping the programme, the sources added.
According to the tradition and protocol, the Chief Minister of a state is supposed to be invited in such a railway programme in the state. The Railway Minister has invited the Chief Minister following that tradition and protocol.
The Prime Minister will inaugurate Sealdah–Esplanade Metro Section, Beleghata–Hemanta Mukhopadhyay Section, Noapara–Jai Hind (Biman Bandar) Section and a Subway at Howrah Metro Station on Friday.
The Railway Ministry said that West Bengal has received a record Rs 83,765 crore for railway works and Rs 13,955 crore in this year’s budget alone. In addition, 101 stations are being redeveloped as world-class, and nine Vande Bharat trains and two Amrit Bharat trains are already running, the Ministry added.
