President's office again declines Trinamool Congress' request for meeting citing 'paucity of time'

Party's Rajya Sabha floor leader Derek O'Brien had first written to the President on March 9, seeking time for a delegation to meet her.

New Delhi: Trinamool Congress’ request for a delegation to meet President Droupadi Murmu to brief her about the welfare initiatives of West Bengal government has been turned down again, citing "paucity of time", prompting the party to make a fresh plea to meet her before April 2.

Trinamool sources said Rajya Sabha floor leader Derek O'Brien had first written to the President on March 9, seeking time for a delegation to brief her on the West Bengal government's welfare initiatives aimed at "inclusive development of all sections of society". 

However, two days later, the request was turned down and the same day, O'Brien sent a fresh letter seeking an appointment with Murmu between March 16 and March 20, followed by a reminder on March 16.

On March 22, sources said the Rashtrapati Bhavan said the request could not be accommodated due to "paucity of time". O'Brien has once again written to Murmu seeking an appointment between March 24 and April 2.

Trinamool's move seeking appointment came days after the President criticised the Bengal government for the “lapses” in organising her events in Darjeeling last week with Murmu finding fault with the absence of Mamata or any senior minister in receiving her during her visit as per protocol as also the troubles faced by the Scheduled Tribes.

O’Brien had requested a meeting of a 12-15 member delegation, which included state ministers and MPs.

Sources said the Trinamool letter had sought the appointment to share the initiatives of the Mamata-led government for inclusive development of all sections of society. The letter claimed that the state government has been implementing path-breaking welfare and development programmes for upliftment of tribal communities.

These initiatives included programmes in education, social security, livelihood support and infrastructure development aimed at improving the quality of life of SC, ST and OBC communities across the state, sources said.