Mamata not to attend video meet with PM, TMC says no use being 'mute spectator'

Kolkata: Though the Bengal government will participate in the video conference of Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday over Covid crisis and lockdown situation, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee won't take part just to be a "mute spectator" when the state has been deprived of putting forward its version regarding the same.

Not allowing the Bengal Chief Minister to speak in the Prime Minister's video conference with the Chief Ministers to review the COVID-19 situation has taken a serious political turn with the Trinamool Congress coming down heavily on the Centre stating that "consultation in the name of video conferences is a mere hogwash if the Chief Ministers aren't allowed to put forth their concerns".

According to the top sources, the Chief Minister will not attend the video conference on Wednesday when Bengal is one of the 15 states that is supposed to participate. However, senior officers of the state government will be attending the meeting. Modi on Tuesday held a video meeting with the Chief Ministers and Governors of 21 states and Union Territories.

On these two days, Chief Ministers of only 13 states were allowed to speak. Bengal was not in the list despite passing through a critical situation as the state is battling both COVID-19 and Amphan aftermath that led to losses to the tune of Rs 1 lakh crore. Despite assurances, Bengal has neither received any compensation yet nor the hefty Rs 50,000 crore has been cleared that the Centre owes to the state. At the same time, "unplanned" steps of the Centre in sending back migrant workers without proper coordination with the state led to a spike in the number of COVID-19 cases in Bengal. But the state cannot put forward any of the issues as its name is not in the list of speakers.

Banerjee had attended almost all the five previous virtual meetings of the Prime Minister with the Chief Ministers over COVID-19. In one such meeting, she was present for around four hours but didn't get an opportunity to put forward her version. "So, senior officials will be attending the meeting on Wednesday where the state's function will be nothing apart from mere listening to the discussions with other states," sources said.

Attacking the Centre, Trinamool Congress Secretary General and state Education minister Partha Chatterjee tweeted: "The Centre has once again humiliated the people of Bengal and decided to silence Mamata Banerjee. Consultation in the name of video conferences is a mere hogwash if the Chief Ministers aren't allowed to put forth their concerns."

State Urban Development and Municipal Affairs minister Firhad Hakim said the exclusion highlights the Centre's attempt to disturb the federal structure of the country.

"It seems the Centre's so worried about exposing itself to Mamata Banerjee's constructive criticism on COVID-19 response that our honourable CM's been reduced to just a mute spectator for the latest round of VCs with the PM...," senior TMC leader Dinesh Trivedi tweeted.