West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Friday took to X to share a post detailing her contribution to Kolkata’s metro expansion at a time when Prime Minister Narendra was in Kolkata to flag off news services.
CM Banerjee has decided to skip Modi’s Friday unveiling of infrastructure projects including three Metro services in Calcutta.
The chief minister, who held the railway portfolio twice – first in the NDA government under Atal Bihari Vajpayee between 1999 and 2001, and again during the Congress-led UPA-2 from 2009 to 2011 – said it was in her second stint that she sanctioned the series of metro expansion projects across Kolkata.
The Bengal CM said she drew the blueprints, arranged the funds, initiated the works and ensured that the different ends of the city ( Joka, Garia, Airport, Sector V, etc) were connected by an intra-city Metro grid.
She said expanding the metro infrastructure had been a long journey.
“Allow me some nostalgia today,” she wrote on X. "As the Railways Minister of India, I was fortunate in planning and sanctioning series of Metro Railway corridors in metropolitan Kolkata. I had drawn the blueprints, arranged the funds, initiated the works and ensured that the different ends of the city ( Joka, Garia, Airport, Sector V, etc) were connected by an intra- city Metro grid.”
She said her key role in ensuring the execution of these projects was by providing free land, building approach roads, rehabilitating displaced families, and removing administrative hurdles.
"Later, as the Chief Minister of West Bengal, I had the additional privilege of taking part in execution of the projects. From the State, I arranged free land, paved roads, arranged rehabilitation of displaced people, removed impediments, and ensured all help in the execution of projects. Our chief secretaries successively held a series of coordination meetings to ensure integration of execution agencies. My planning as Railways Minister got fulfilment in my participation in execution," the Bengal CM Banerjee wrote.
The Telegraph had earlier reported that Trinamool Congress (TMC) on Thursday made it clear that CM Banerjee has decided to skip PM Modi’s Friday unveiling of infrastructure projects including three Metro services in Calcutta — largely in protest against the saffron regime’s alleged Bengali-phobia and despite an invitation from the Railways.
Trinamool sources said there were fears that the event would be hijacked by the BJP to humiliate her, which has happened twice in recent memory.
A senior official in the state government said Mamata was not thrilled with how the Centre went about the event.
“All these projects were planned and funded by none other than her, originally, when she was the Union railway minister. After years of sluggish progress, they (the BJP) are now hurrying to have them inaugurated now to take credit before the 2026 poll,” the source said.
Bengal BJP chief and Rajya Sabha MP Samik Bhattacharya alleged that 43 railway projects in Bengal, including the East-West Metro, were delayed because of the state’s non-cooperation and its hands-off land policy.
“The invitation to the chief minister was natural as the BJP does not believe in politics of hatred and exclusion. It has faith in cooperative federalism. Trinamool does not. Therefore, such a response isn’t unexpected,” said the Rajya Sabha member.
“Her (Mamata’s) attendance would have been desirable,” said Bhattacharya.
Earlier in the day, Union minister of state Sukanta Majumdar visited the Kali temple in Gorabazar, Dum Dum, where he extended invitations to local residents to attend Modi’s public rally after completing rituals at the temple.
The Congress state leadership said Mamata should have gone for the sake of democratic decency, but saw in the “theatrics” an attempt to show the people how fiercely acrimonious Trinamool and the BJP are when they were not, “behind the curtains”.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated three major Metro corridors, marking a significant expansion of the city’s rapid transit network.
The projects inaugurated include the Orange Line from New Garia to the airport, the Green Line from Sector V to Howrah Maidan, and the Yellow Line from Noapara to Barasat.
Modi will take a Metro ride from Jessore Road station to Jai Hind Bimanbandar station and return.
PM Modi will lay the foundation stone for the 7.2 km six-lane elevated Kona Expressway, to be built at a cost of over Rs 1,200 crore.
The 13.61 km-long network, spread across the ‘Green’, ‘Yellow’ and ‘Orange’ lines, marks a defining moment in the city’s metro journey that began in 1984. Officials said the new routes are expected to ease congestion on Kolkata’s choked roads and transform daily commuting for millions.