President slams Mamata over choice of venue, protocol lapses during Bengal tour

President Droupadi Murmu on Saturday expressed her displeasure over the choice of venue for an international event in Siliguri. She also pointed to lapses in protocol, highlighting that neither the West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee nor any state minister received her during the one-day visit. President Murmu was in the town to attend the 9th International Santal Conference.

"Mamata is like my little sister. Maybe she is angry. I don't know why she chose to organise an international event in such a cramped venue. Had the venue been bigger, more people would have attended the conference," she told the audience at another event in Bidhannagar. She also compared the size of the two venues and added that five lakh people would have easily attended if the conference had taken place in Bidhannagar.

The West Bengal unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party slammed the TMC government for "breaking constitutional norms".

"When a state government shows such disregard for the dignity of the office of the President of India, it goes beyond administrative lapse. It signals a deeper erosion of constitutional propriety and governance. It reflects institutional disrespect and highlights how governance in West Bengal is slipping into disorder," the West Bengal BJP posted on X.

Meanwhile, at the 9th International Santal Conference organised by the International Santal Council, President Murmu hailed India's tribal communities for preserving their culture for centuries. According to a Rashtrapati Bhavan post on X, Murmu, who is a Santal and the first president from the tribal community, urged tribals to embrace modern development while preserving folk traditions and the environment. She also urged them to read other languages and scripts, while remaining connected with their own language.

Murmu was earlier scheduled to leave for Darjeeling on Friday (March 6) morning for a two-day visit. However, the itinerary was revised following the abrupt resignation of West Bengal Governor CV Ananda Bose on Thursday. The President has appointed Tamil Nadu Governor R.N. Ravi as the new West Bengal Governor in place of Bose.

- Ends