Odisha chief minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Wednesday wrote to his Bengal counterpart Mamata Banerjee, asking her to apologise to President Droupadi Murmu and the people of the country over alleged protocol lapses during the President's recent visit to Bengal.
President Murmu had visited north Bengal on March 7 to attend the International Santal Conference. She later expressed disappointment with the Bengal government for changing the venue of the conference said that the chief minister and her ministers did not receive her.
In his letter to Mamata, Majhi deplored the "absence of basic courtesies during the visit of the President" in Bengal.
“I sincerely urge you to reflect on this matter and convey your regret to the President and to the people of the country," he wrote.
"The manner in which the President — herself a respected tribal woman — was treated in West Bengal has caused deep pain to many across the country.... This incident has not only hurt the sentiments of millions of Adivasis, backward classes and Dalits across the country, but has also cast an avoidable shadow on the image of West Bengal, a land known for its culture, civility and respect for democratic institutions," Majhi wrote.
As a member of the Santhal community, he felt "extremely distressed", he added.