Mamata slams Indian govt for not inviting her to be part of PM Hasina’s India tour

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee today (September 8, 2022) slammed the Indian government for not inviting her to be a part of Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's India visit.

Mamata also said she was curious to know why Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led central government was "worried" about her meeting foreign dignitaries, reports our New Delhi correspondent.

"I share an excellent relationship with Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina, but [the government] did not invite me to be a part of her visit," she said while addressing a special session of her party Trinamool Congress at the Netaji Subhash Indoor Stadium in Kolkata.

"I don't want to talk about external affairs or bilateral ties. But I have noticed that the Centre tries to stop me whenever I am invited to any foreign country. I want to know why is the union government so worried about me meeting foreign dignitaries," Mamata said.

Hasina, who wrapped her four-day state visit to India today, had during an interaction with the media at the Bangladesh high commission in New Delhi on September 6, said Mamata was like her sister and expressed disappointment over not being able to meet the West Bengal chief minister in Delhi.

In July this year, Hasina had written a letter to Mamata expressing her interest to meet the chief minister during her September visit to Delhi.

On the other hand, a senior official of the Indian government stated that the central government does not invite chief ministers for such events.

"Sometimes, chief ministers are invited for state banquets or some other ceremonial events but there was no such occasion during the visit of Hasina this time," the official pointed out.

"In 2015, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had in fact invited [West Bengal] Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to Bangladesh where a ceremonial event was held for flagging-off a bus service between the two countries," the official recalled.