West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Sunday responded to the controversy over the alleged insult to President Draupadi Murmu and said that the state is being targeted ahead of the Assembly elections.
Reacting to the ongoing row over the change of venue of the President’s event near Siliguri, Mamata said there was no violation of protocol at Murmu’s programme, and said the responsibility for mismanagement at the event lay with its private organisers.
“There was no violation of protocol at the President’s program in West Bengal on Saturday. The responsibility for the mismanagement at the President’s program in Bengal lies with the private sector regulators and the Airports Authority of India. We have full respect for the President’s chair and the Constitution of India, which we consider to be safe; do not blame us,” Mamata Banerjee said while speaking in Kolkata.
Also read: ‘Nari Shakti will not forgive’: PM Modi slams TMC, accuses Mamata government of ‘insulting’ President Murmu
The Bengal Prime Minister’s remarks come shortly after Prime Minister Narendra Modi doubled down on his attack on the TMC government over the “treatment” meted out to the President, describing it as “shameful and unprecedented.”
Referring to Murmu, Prime Minister Modi said the “enlightened people” of the state would never forgive the party for “insulting” a tribal leader and the country’s president. “The country and its Nari Shakti (women) will never forgive this insult to President Draupadi Murmu,” the Prime Minister said.
“Today, as the nation celebrates International Women’s Day, it is a matter of deep concern that just yesterday, the TMC government in West Bengal displayed a grave insult towards the honorable President of India, Draupadi Murmu,” the Prime Minister said.
What is the controversy surrounding Murmu’s visit to Bengal?
The controversy erupted after President Murmu approached X to express his displeasure over the change of venue of the Santal tribal community conference near Siliguri district and the absence of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and her ministers.
Also Read: President Murmu’s ‘angry’ statement pits Modi against Mamata over Bengali tribal event
“Today was the International Santal Congress. When I came here after attending it, I realized that it would have been better if it had been held here, because the area is so vast… I don’t know what the administration had in mind… They said no, the place is crowded. But I think five thousand people could gather here easily. But I don’t know why they took us there… I don’t know what the administration had in mind that they chose a place for the convention where the Santal people couldn’t.” Murmu said while addressing the 9th International Santal Congress at Gosinpur near Siliguri.
“If the president visits a place, the prime minister and ministers should also come. But she didn’t… I am also a daughter of Bengal… Mamata Didi is also my sister, my younger sister. I don’t know if she is angry with me, that’s why this happened,” she added.
The event was originally scheduled to be held in Bidhanagar in the Phansidewa building.
Murmu’s comments sparked a bitter confrontation, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi accusing the TMC of “crossing all limits” and insulting the president.
“This is shameful and unprecedented. Everyone who believes in democracy and empowerment of tribal communities is frustrated. The pain and suffering expressed by Rashtrapati Ji, who herself hails from a tribal community, has caused immense grief in the minds of the people of India,” Prime Minister Modi said in a post on X.
On the other hand, Mamata claimed that the BJP was using the highest office in the country to discredit the state and questioned the President’s “silence” on alleged atrocities against tribals in BJP-ruled states.
