New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday stepped up his attack on the Mamata Banerjee-led Bengal government, accusing it of “mismanagement”, accusing the TMC of insulting the head of state and warning the party’s “arrogance of power will soon be shattered”.The home ministry has asked the Bangladesh government to provide a report on alleged violations of security and protocol norms during the president’s visit. In a letter to Chief Secretary Nandini Chakraborty, Union Home Minister Govind Mohan asked the state to submit a detailed explanation by 5 pm on Sunday for the alleged violation of the ‘Blue Book’ guidelines governing venues, safety and route arrangements.
The controversy has intensified the political rivalry between the BJP and TMC ahead of Bengal’s assembly elections, with both sides accusing the other of politicizing presidential visits and tribal community events. Addressing a rally in Burari, Delhi, where he has launched development projects worth about 335 billion rupees, Modi said he was “deeply hurt” by the developments surrounding the president’s visit.PM Modi: Not only insulting the president, but also insulting the constitutionToday, as the country celebrates the achievements of its mothers, sisters and daughters on International Women’s Day, yesterday (Saturday) in West Bengal, the TMC government seriously insulted the President,” Modi said.Referring to the 9th International Santhali Conclave in Siliguri on Saturday, Modi alleged that the state government failed to organize the event properly and the TMC boycotted the event. “President Drupadi Murmu herself hails from the tribal community. Instead of paying tribute to her and celebrating this important tribal event, the TMC government has left the program in a state of mismanagement,” he said.“This is an insult not only to the president but also to the Constitution, its spirit and the great tradition of our democracy,” Modi said.The prime minister warned the TMC, “The dirty politics and arrogance of power shown by the TMC in insulting the tribal chiefs will soon be shattered.”The controversy started when President Droupadi Murmu expressed disappointment over arrangements for attending a conclave during her visit, saying the venue had been changed to make it difficult for members of the tribal community to attend, noting that no chief minister or any state minister came to receive her.
