KOLKATA: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is unlikely to share the dais with Prime Minister Narendra Modi at an official program of the latter scheduled to be held on the northern outskirts of Kolkata on August 22.
The Prime Minister will first reach Jessore Road Metro station by road from Kolkata Airport. There, he will inaugurate three new city metro railway routes, namely the Noapara to Jai Hind Airport Station, Ruby to Beliaghata, and Esplanade to Sealdah.
An official invitation has already been forwarded from the Union Railways Ministry to the office of the West Bengal Chief Minister, Mamata Banerjee, requesting her presence at the inauguration function.
An insider from the state secretariat said that in all probability, Chief Minister Banerjee will not be attending the inauguration program and share the same stage with the Prime Minister, because of a past experience.
“Earlier, Chief Minister Banerjee was seen next to Prime Minister Modi at a government function at Nazrul Manch. But the behaviour of the BJP workers and supporters present there was not satisfactory towards the Chief Minister,” said a state secretariat insider.
He also said that during the program, at Nazrul Manch, the Chief Minister also expressed her anger on stage. Sources said that Chief Minister Banerjee will not share the stage with the Prime Minister in the current situation, where the Chief Minister is fighting to protect Bengal and Bengali identity.
On August 22, the Prime Minister will first reach Jessore Road Metro station by road from Kolkata Airport. He will inaugurate the metro service there and will then take the first train and go from Jessore Road station to Jai Hind Airport Metro station.
After that, he will take the metro from Airport station and return to Jessore Road station. From there, he will reach Dum Dum Central Jail Ground by road, where his administrative and political meetings will be held.