Kolkata: Lashing out at the Centre for inviting her to attend the unveiling the statue of Netaji in Delhi by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi through an Under Secretary, Trinamool Congress chairperson Mamata Banerjee said this was not the way to invite a Chief Minister. "Am I their servant," she said.
Banerjee garlanded the statue of Netaji on Red Road before coming to attend the special meeting of the party at the Netaji Indoor stadium.
"I got a letter yesterday, written probably by an Under Secretary yesterday saying the PM will inaugurate the Netaji statue at 7 pm and you must be there at 6 pm. As if I am their servant or bonded labour. How can an Under Secretary write to a Chief Minister? Why has the Culture minister become so big," Banerjee said.
"They have lost their senses. That's why I garlanded the Netaji statue here in the afternoon today to offer my respects. I have done here in Bengal what they would have done in Delhi," she said.
Sharing pictures of the garlanding, Banerjee said the freedom fighter continued to inspire people of this country.
"I paid my heartfelt tribute to Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose before starting the day. He lives in our hearts and continues to inspire us, daily," she wrote.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated a 28-ft statue of Bose at India Gate on Thursday. Banerjee also took exception to not being invited to meet Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who is on a four-day India visit. "Hasinaji is here. I have very good relations with her family. We exchange gifts during Pujas and Eid. She sends hilsa and mangoes. She had shown inclination to meet me. This is for the first time that the Bangladesh PM is here, and Bengal has been left out. I am thankful Hasinaji wanted to meet me. I saw it in the news. Anyways these are international issues, let them be. But why are you so angry?" she said. Banerjee said she was curious why the BJP-led Central government was "worried" about her meeting Sheikh Hasina.
Earlier, Netaji's nearly 80-year-old daughter Anita Bose Pfaff, who lives in Germany, had said that she, too, would not be able to attend the ceremony, having received the invitation on a short notice.
Pfaff also said that she would want to meet the Prime Minister to discuss the conditions and procedures for bringing back Netaji's remains to India from Renkoji Temple in Japan.
Meanwhile, Trinamool Congress leader Saket Gokhale tweeted: "BJP's coolie Malviya is a liability for his masters. What has @narendramodi done for Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose?
"Did he invite the family members of Netaji to unveil the statue? Has a holiday been declared on his birth anniversary? The fake news & lies are getting stale."