Modi-Mamata meeting likely on Dec 20: State secretariat

Kolkata, Dec 12

The crucial meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on the issue of pending central dues to the state government is likely on December 20, highly-placed sources from the state secretariat said on Tuesday.

The Chief Minister had earlier sent a communiqué to the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) seeking time between December 18 and December 20 for discussions in the contentious matter.

State government sources said that positive indications about the proposed meeting have come from the PMO and the probable date and time of the meeting is 11 a.m on December 20 within the Parliament premises.

However, it is not clear whether the meeting will be one-on-one between the PM and the CM or whether some Trinamool Congress MPs will be accompanying Mamata Banerjee at the meeting as indicated by her last week.

It is also not clear whether the Trinamool Congress’ National General Secretary and party Lok Sabha member Abhishek Banerjee will accompany Mamata Banerjee at the proposed meeting with Modi.

It is learnt that Mamata Banerjee is slated to be in New Delhi from December 18 on. However, the Trinamool Congress leadership is maintaining secrecy over her detailed schedule and hence so far there is no clarity on whether she will be attending the meeting of the grand Opposition INDIA bloc in the national Capital.

To recall, on December 9, the Chief Minister while informing about her communiqué to the PMO seeking time, also said that if she does not get the appointment from the Prime Minister on this count she will decide over her party’s next course of action in the matter. She also said that West Bengal is the only state where the Union Government has stopped central funds under all centrally-sponsored schemes.

“Still the state government here is somehow continuing with the schemes. The major schemes under which the flow of central funds has been stopped include MGNREGA, PMAY, NHM and PMGSY, among others. These are our legitimate dues,” the Chief Minister said.