West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is likely to visit Delhi on February 6, 48 hours after her ‘dharna’ in Kolkata over the state’s pending dues.
Though the Trinamool Congress chief’s schedule is not clear yet, party insiders believe her visit is extremely significant.
Banerjee generally visits Delhi when Parliament is in session but sources told CNN-News18 that this time, she may attend the meeting called by One Nation, One Election Committee that is headed by former President Ram Nath Kovind and is in the process of taking suggestions from all political parties.
The chief minister was supposed to go to Jangal Mahal next week, but sources said the visit had been postponed.
Earlier in the month, Banerjee had written a strongly worded letter to the One Nation, One Election Committee, stating that she disagreed with the idea.
Calling simultaneous pools a “step towards Presidentialism”, she questioned the idea of ‘one nation’. “What is ‘One Nation’ in this context? While I understand the meaning of one nation in a historical-political-cultural sense, I do not understand the exact constitutional and structural implication of the term in the instant case. Does the Indian Constitution follow the concept of ‘One Nation, One Government’? I am afraid it does not,” she had written.
The letter makes it clear that if Banerjee attends the meeting, she will protest against the idea.
Rahul-Mamata Meet?
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and Banerjee did not meet in Bengal but some say the Grand Old Party may try to reason with the TMC chief for the last time amid strained relations between the parties.
Both Gandhi and Banerjee were in North Bengal this week and after the chief minister decided to not align with the Congress, many thought Gandhi would meet and placate her. Instead, Banerjee held rallies at all the places that Gandhi visited.
Attacking Congress and CPM in North Bengal, the TMC chief said her party’s relationship with the Grand Old Party had “worsened” because of CPM.
Though she did not refer to the arrest of Jharkhand’s ex-chief minister Hemant Soren, Banerjee trained guns on the Union government and said: “They are arresting everyone before elections. If they arrest me, I will create hole and come out [of prison]. Is it that we are thieves and they are saints?”
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