Senior Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Choudhury on Sunday questioned West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s decision to attend the dinner hosted by President Droupadi Murmu on the occasion of the G20 meet in New Delhi, asking if that would not weaken her stance against the Narendra Modi government.
The state Congress president also wondered whether there was “any other reason” for the Trinamool Congress supremo to take part in the programme.
The TMC hit back at Choudhury, saying that Banerjee is one of the prime movers behind the non-BJP bloc INDIA and the Congress leader did not need to lecture her about certain protocols to be followed from the administrative point of view.
"When many non-BJP CMs refrained from attending the dinner, Didi (Mamata Banerjee) went to Delhi a day in advance. She attended the occasion with Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath in the same room.
“I wonder what prompted her to rush all the way to Delhi to be in the dinner party along with these leaders," Choudhury told reporters here.
Banerjee went to Delhi on Friday, while the dinner party was held the next day.
Choudhury asked, "Is there any other reason behind her attending the occasion?" Reacting to his statement, TMC Rajya Sabha MP Santanu Sen said everyone knows Mamata Banerjee is one of the architects behind INDIA and none can question her commitment.
"Choudhury will not decide when the chief minister of the state will go to attend a dinner on the occasion of G20 as part of the protocol," Sen said.
The BJP’s West Bengal spokesperson Samik Bhattacharya said the Congress and CPIM joined hands with the Banerjee-led party in Delhi against the saffron camp, betraying the people of the state who were “victims of the TMC’s terror”.
"The Congress itself has joined hands with the corrupt TMC in Delhi. It is the BJP which has remained vocal against the corruption of TMC leaders. ED and CBI are raiding against them. The BJP is with the people of Bengal.
"So, people like Adhir Choudhury should explain who is actually cosying up to TMC and doing a disservice to the people of the state," Bhattacharya said.
Banerjee’s flight was scheduled for Saturday, but it was rescheduled to Friday afternoon owing to regulation of flight movements in the national capital, officials said.