Controversy over Mamata not being invited to East-West Metro inauguration

The first phase of the much anticipated Easy-West Metro corridor in Kolkata was inaugurated by Union Railways Minister Piyush Goyal on Thursday. The 4.88 km section of the project has connected Sector V with Salt Lake stadium on the eastern fringes of the city.

However, the event was marred with controversy as West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee was allegedly not invited. Metro Rail authorities denied the allegation.

“The total East-West Metro Corridor is expected to be completed in two years,” said Goyal. He also said that Union Minister Babul Supriyo was persistent in urging him to speed up the project.

Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Kakali Ghosh Dastiddar, Chairperson of Bidhanagar Municipal Corporation Krishna Chakraborty and Fire Services Minister Sujit Bose skipped the event as the Chief Minister was not invited.

Accusing BJP of resorting to “cheap politics” Bose said, “ there is no question of attending the event whose organisers did not have the courtesy to invite the Chief Minister.”

Dastidar said that the East-West Metro Corridor was the brainchild of the Chief Minister who during her tenure as the Union Railway Minister allotted funds for it.

“The project was the Chief Minister’s brainchild and they did not bother to invite when it is being inaugurated. It is an insult to the Chief Minister,” said Dastidar.

Denying the allegation of not inviting the Chief Minister Metro Rail spokesperson Indrani Banerjee said that the Chief Minister was invited as per protocol.

“The Chief Minister was invited as per protocol. The invitation was sent to her office yesterday (Wednesday). Our senior officers personally went there today personally. As some people claiming that it was a late invite the Minister’s program was confirmed following which we had to send the cars for printing and send them top concerned persons,” Indrani Banerjee told DH.