Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Saturday evening accused President Droupadi Murmu of doing the BJP's bidding even as Prime Minister Narendra Modi condemned what he called an “insult to the President”.
The brouhaha brewed over Murmu's remarks earlier in the day, which seemed to indirectly accuse Mamata – whom the President addressed as her “younger sister” – of sidelining an event on tribal culture held in north Bengal.
"I'm sorry, madam. I have great regards for you, but you were tapped by the BJP, BJP policy, BJP's instruction," the Bengal chief minister said in reply.
Mamata said she had little information about the programme being referred to. "I don't know which organisation has organised this…. I do not know what happened, what is the programme, who are organising the programme, it is whose programme, who are attending the programme, who are funding the programme. I don't know anything. I'm sitting in the protest."
The Bengal chief minister has been on a sit-in protest in the heart of Calcutta against the Election Commission's special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bengal since Thursday.
"One day A is coming, one day B, one day C, one day D, one day E. Don't we have any work to do? Do we have to run after them all the time?" Mamata said from the protest dias.
Rejecting claims that tribal communities had been neglected in the state, she pointed to the presence of several tribal groups in Bengal. "How can you say that there is no work here for the tribal people? You don't know, there are many tribal people, there is Lodha, there is Sabara, there is Munda, there are many."
Mamata also questioned why similar concerns were not raised about the situation of the tribal population in other states: "And tell me something, when tribals were suffering during the violence in Manipur, when they were being attacked and humiliated, why did we not hear your voice then?"
She said the office of the President should remain above electoral politics. "We respect you. You are the number one chair in this country, you are the President of India. Don't play politics at the time of election as per BJP's advice."
The Bengal chief minister also raised concerns about tribal women being removed from official lists.
She then listed steps taken by her government for tribal leaders and communities and referred to the violence during the Naxalite movement, saying the situation was now peaceful. She ended by saying, "And that's why I will request you. With my humble regards. Don't say anything that you don't want to say."
Earlier in the day, addressing a gathering of tribal people at Bidhannagar near Siliguri, President Murmu said Banerjee was like her “younger sister”, but wondered whether the chief minister was “upset” as neither she nor any state minister was present to receive her during the visit.
Murmu also questioned the shifting of the tribal community’s annual programme from Bidhannagar in Siliguri to Goshaipur near Bagdogra airport, suggesting that the change of venue might have reduced the turnout.
Prime Minister Modi condemned the incident on X (formerly Twitter).
“This is shameful and unprecedented. Everyone who believes in democracy and the empowerment of tribal communities is disheartened,” he wrote.
“The pain and anguish expressed by Rashtrapati Ji, who herself hails from a tribal community, has caused immense sadness in the minds of the people of India. The TMC Government of West Bengal has truly crossed all limits. Their administration is responsible for this insult to the President.
“It is equally unfortunate that a subject as important as Santal culture is treated so casually by the West Bengal Government.
“The office of the President is above politics and the sanctity of this office should always be respected. One hopes better sense prevails among the West Bengal Government and TMC,” the prime minister wrote.
