Kolkata/New Delhi, March 7: A fierce political slugfest erupted in poll-bound West Bengal on Saturday, after President Droupadi Murmu flagged lack of development among tribals in north Bengal, drawing an angry retort from Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, even as Prime Minister Narendra Modi accused the TMC of insulting the President.
The exchange quickly escalated into a three-cornered political controversy involving the President, Banerjee and the PM, injecting fresh heat into the tribal outreach battle between the ruling TMC and the BJP ahead of the assembly polls.
Banerjee accused the President of speaking “on the advice of the BJP”, and questioned her silence on alleged atrocities against tribals in states such as Manipur and Chhattisgarh.
The PM accused the WB government of insulting the President during her visit, calling the episode “shameful and unprecedented”, and alleging that the TMC dispensation had “truly crossed all limits”. (PTI)
