West Bengal Chief Minister called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi at Raj Bhavan during his two-day visit to the state on Friday (March 1) evening. The Prime Minister is in West Bengal on a two-day tour where he will address rallies in Hooghly and Nadia districts and also inaugurate several projects. He will be staying at Raj Bhavan in Kolkata on Friday night.
What did Mamata say after the meeting?
After her meeting with the Prime Minister, the Chief Minister said that it was "not a political" meeting and will say whatever she has to in a political meeting.
"I am here as part of a courtesy protocol. It is a protocol that if Prime Minister or President visits the state, Chief Minister has to meet them. Whatever I have to say, I will do it in a political meeting, this meeting was not political," Mamata said.
Significance of the meeting
Mamata’s meeting with the Prime Minister comes as the state government has been alleging that the Centre owes Rs 1.18 lakh crore to West Bengal.
The West Bengal government commenced the payment of dues to approximately 30 lakh MGNREGA workers on Monday, amounting to Rs 2,700 crore, pending since March 2022.
The withholding of West Bengal's MGNREGA dues by the Centre has been a focal point in the state's political discourse for the past year.
Earlier in December last year, Banerjee had met PM Modi in New Delhi to press for the release of the state's dues.
(With inputs from agencies)
