Mamata may visit New Delhi next week for 'important political meeting'

 CM slams Cong for ‘joining force’ with CPM to assist BJP

Cautions locals about not accepting any ID card issued by BSF

PTI, Kolkata, Feb 1, 2024 : West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee is likely to visit New Delhi next week to participate in a "very important political meeting", a top source said on Thursday. 

Banerjee's visit to New Delhi will be after her 48-hour dharna in the city from Friday to press upon the Centre to clear the state's dues, he added.

The "important political meeting" in New Delhi is scheduled on Wednesday, he said.

"The CM is likely to go to New Delhi on Tuesday afternoon after attending the state budget session. She is likely to take part in a very important political meeting there the next day," the source said.

Mamata's visit to New Delhi will be after her 48-hour dharna in the city from Friday to press upon the Centre to clear the state's dues, he added. The "important political meeting" in New  Delhi is scheduled on Wednesday, he said. 

"The CM is likely to go to New Delhi on Tuesday afternoon after attending the state budget session. She is likely to take part in a very important political meeting there the next day,"  the  source  said. 

A day after her Jharkhand counterpart Hemant Soren was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in a money laundering case, the Chief Minister on Thursday alleged that the  BJP was imprisoning Opposition leaders to win the upcoming general elections.

Speaking at a public distribution programme at Santipur in Nadia district, Mamata said that even if she was put behind bars, she would come out of it.

"You can intimidate and put everyone in India in jail.. You can also put me behind bars, but I will surely come out. The BJP is putting everyone in jail only to win the election," she said. Soren was arrested on Wednesday night after a marathon seven-hour grilling by ED in a money laundering case linked to an alleged land scam.

Launching a scathing attack on the BJP ,the TMC supremo alleged that the BJP was threatening to impose the National Register of Citizens (NRC). 

"I will not allow the implementation of the NRC. The BJP has plans to implement NRC before the elections. And they are lying regarding CAA. These are nothing but their political ploy... They just want to divide   people," she said.   

Mamata claimed while her party was eager to form an alliance with the Congress for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections in the state, it was the grand old party that rejected her  proposal. She recently announced that her party will go alone, and not as part of the Opposition bloc INDIA, in the Lok Sabha elections in West Bengal.

"We wanted an alliance, but the Congress did not agree. They have joined forces with the CPM to assist the BJP in the elections. We are the one who can fight the BJP in the country," she added.

The Chief Minister also cautioned locals about not accepting any identity cards issued by the BSF in the bordering area. The BSF "must concentrate" on manning the border and keep a check on illegal activities there, she said. 

She also instructed DMs, BDOs and SDOs to issue permits to people who need to cross the international border to work and keep an eye on the BSF in this connection.