नवीनतम
Mamata likely to skip Modi’s metro inauguration in Kolkata
KOLKATA [Maha Media]: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is unlikely to attend the inauguration of three metro projects in Kolkata on August 22, an event that will be flagged off by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw had formally invited the chief minister in a letter dated August 14, requesting her presence at Jessore Road metro station for the ceremony.
However, sources in the state government indicated yesterday that Mamata Banerjee has decided not to participate, citing “policy reasons”.
According to Trinamool Congress (TMC) insiders, the chief minister’s absence is linked to three key factors. First, the party has accused the BJP-led Centre of encouraging “linguistic discrimination” against Bengali-speaking people in other states, a situation that Mamata Banerjee does not want to overlook by sharing the stage with Central leaders.
Secondly, TMC leaders argue that the projects being inaugurated were originally planned and funded during Banerjee’s tenure as Union Railway Minister. They alleged that the BJP is now rushing to showcase the delayed works ahead of the 2026 Assembly polls.
“A routine invitation letter cannot erase the fact that these are Mamata Banerjee’s projects,” a senior party functionary said.
Third, the chief minister is said to be unwilling to risk a repeat of past incidents, when BJP supporters allegedly created disorder and behaved disrespectfully during Central programmes in which she participated.
Prime Minister Modi will inaugurate the Sealdah-Esplanade stretch of the Green Line, the Hemanta Mukhopadhyay (Ruby Crossing)-Beleghata section of the Orange Line, and the Noapara-Jai Hind (Airport) section of the Yellow Line.
With this, India’s first underwater metro on the Green Line will be fully operational from Howrah Maidan to Salt Lake Sector V, and Kolkata airport will finally be linked to the metro network.
While TMC has questioned the timing of the event, suggesting the BJP is using
