Mamata Banerjee takes conciliatory stand towards BJP-led Opposition

The ruling Trinamool Congress in West Bengal appears to be taking a conciliatory approach towards the BJP-led Opposition in the state.

Besides holding a ‘courtesy meeting’ on Friday with Suvendu Adhikari, Leader of the Opposition in the state Assembly, and suggesting an all-party delegation to New Delhi for putting forward state’s issues before the Centre, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has asked the officials concerned in state administration to invite all MLA and MPs from West Bengal to the upcoming Kolkata International Film Festival.

Addressing a gathering of the members of the Legislative Assembly and officials at the inauguration of the platinum jubilee memorial building of the Assembly on Friday, Banerjee said that she would have been happy had the (BJP) MLAs in the Opposition also attended the function. The Speaker told Banerjee that the MLAs had been sent a letter. “On a historical moment, they would have also remained a witness,” she said.

Read | Mamata Banerjee, Opposition's Suvendu Adhikari hold a ‘courtesy meeting’

Banerjee then told the audience that for the upcoming film festival, scheduled for December 15-22, actors Amitabh Bachchan, Jaya Bachchan, ‘brother’ Shah Rukh Khan, and former cricketer Sourav Ganguly have confirmed their participation. She asked the MLAs to participate in the event, and directed officials concerned to extend the invitation to all MLAs and MPs from Bengal, and none should get skipped.

The new development is preceded by another occasion where the BJP leader Adhikari had skipped an official function organised for the oath taking ceremony of CV Ananda Bose, as the new Governor of the state, on Wednesday. Adhikari, in a Twitter post, had expressed unhappiness at being offered a chair next to two MLAs who shifted their political allegiance after winning Assembly election on a BJP ticket.

Meanwhile, the chief minister is also scheduled to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi on December 5. The meeting concerns preparations for the G20 Summit that's to be hosted by India, next year in September.