Kolkata: Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is likely to skip Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s inauguration of three Kolkata Metro projects on August 22, citing “policy reasons,” sources said.
The projects were initiated during Banerjee’s tenure as Railway Minister, when she had also sanctioned funds. Trinamool Congress leaders have alleged that the Centre deliberately delayed their progress to time the inauguration ahead of the 2026 Assembly elections.
Banerjee is also unwilling to share the dais with representatives of the BJP-led Centre, accusing them of tacitly supporting the harassment of Bengali-speaking migrant workers in BJP-ruled states while withholding dues owed to Bengal. Protests are currently underway in the state against what the ruling party has described as “discriminatory treatment” of Bengali migrants.
Incidentally, Railway minister, Ashwini Vaishnaw, in a letter dated August 14, invited Banerjee to the inauguration of three Metro projects on August 22. According to sources from the state government, these projects were originally planned and funded by Mamata Banerjee during her tenure as the Railway minister. The BJP-led Centre went slow on these projects. The Chief Minister was only given a routine invitation via letter, said sources.
Banerjee, in the past, attended Central government events to respect the Constitutional protocol, but she had to face “bitter experience”.
During these programmes, BJP supporters created chaos and acted disrespectfully, turning the official functions into political platforms. Taking this into account, Banerjee decided not to attend the event. In his letter to the Chief Minister, Vaishnaw stated that PM Modi will inaugurate the final 2.6km Esplanade–Sealdah link of the East-West Metro (Green Line), which will finally unify the two disconnected stretches of the corridor.
He will also flag off services on the Noapara–Jai Hind (Biman Bandar) section of the Yellow Line, the Beleghata–Hemanta Mukhopadhyay stretch of the Orange Line, and a subway at Howrah Metro Station. Banerjee was requested to join the programme at Jessore Road Metro Station.