Mamata meets Modi with sandesh, seeks his help

Meeting the Prime Minister here on Wednesday after a 15-month gap amid heightened political speculations, Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee urged Narendra Modi to revive certain stalled projects in the state.

Terming the meeting with the Prime Minister good, Mamata said changing the name of the state topped her agenda. "We discussed changing the name of West Bengal to Bangla and he promised to do something about it."

The state has been trying to change the name of the state primarily to get central assistance early as West Bengal's turn comes right at the end.

The stalled projects taken up at the meeting related to railways and mining, and disinvestment of certain public sector units also figured at the meeting.

She also invited the Prime Minister for inauguration of the coal project in Birbhum.

Mamata carried a bouquet of yellow flowers and multiple packets of sandesh for Modi from a well known Kolkata shop.

Interestingly, during the heat and dust of the 2019 general elections, she had said, "I'll send Modi roshogollas made of mud, pebbles so that he loses his teeth".

The meeting comes at an interesting time, just a day after Modi's 69th birthday that drew criticism and formation of a 14-member Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) crack team to trace Rajeev Kumar, former Kolkata top cop and Mamata favourite, in the Rs 2,500 crore Saradha chit fund scam.

Bengal Congress chief Somen Mitra has accused Banerjee of making desperate attempts to ensure an "escape route" for Kumar.

"It's anybody's guess as why is she seeking a meeting with Modi all of a sudden", Kailash Vijayvargiya, BJP's Bengal in-charge, said, recalling Banerjee's sharp criticism of Modi during the 2019 general elections.

With the tone and tenor of Mamata changed amid the changed political realities and circumstances, will it be a new era between Mamata and Modi?