Left, Congress criticise Mamata for meeting Amit Shah

Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury. File (Source: PTI)

The Left parties and the Congress on Friday criticised the visit of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to Bhubaneshwar, where she met Union Home Minister Amit Shah at the Eastern Regional Council Meeting, along with Chief Ministers of other eastern States.

Leader of the Congress in Lok Sabha and MP from Bengal Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury alleged a “tacit understanding” between the BJP and Trinamool Congress. Mr Chowdhury alleged the Chief Minister’s meeting with the Prime Minister and Home Minister is to ensure that her party leaders are spared in the Narada and the Saradha chit fund scam investigations.

Later in the day State Congress president Somendranath Mitra, who held a rally in Kolktata against the violence in Delhi along with Mr. Chowdhury, said Ms Banerjee’s meeting with Mr. Shah indicated a “political understanding”.

Leader of the Left Legislature party in the State Assembly Sujan Chakraborty echoed the Congress’ allegations and ridiculed the meeting between Ms. Banerjee and Mr. Shah, saying it indicates the trust between “Delhi and Bengal”.

The Chief Minister has been waiting for meeting Amit Shah for four days and camping in Bhubaneshwar, Mr Chakraborty saying that there is “nothing more shameful for the people of Bengal that the Home Minister holding a rally in Kolkata after what happened in Delhi”.

Mr Chakraborty, CPI(M) MLA added that when anti-CAA protests were raging in the country in January, Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Kolkata and participated in a number of events and held a meeting with the Chief Minister.

Nod for Shah rally?

Meanwhile, the State BJP leadership expressed confidence that they will go ahead with the rally of Union Home Minister Amit Shah on March 1. When asked about the permission being denied for the use of microphones for the proposed rally at Shahid Minar Grounds, BJP State president Dilip Ghosh said the party will go ahead with whatever permission they have. Microphones are not allowed in residential areas as per guidelines of the State’s Pollution Control Board as school final examinations are going on.