Kolkata: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee will not attend the two-day meeting of the home ministers of the states convened by the Centre at Surajkund in Haryana, a senior official said on Wednesday.
The state government will not send the home secretary B P Gopalika or director general of police Manoj Malviya but will instead assign additional director general (home guard) Niraj Kumar Singh to attend the two-day ‘Chintan Shivir’ from Thursday, he said.
West Bengal resident commissioner in New Delhi, Ram Das Meena will also attend the meeting, the official.
“This is festival time and there are several lined up. ‘Bhaiphota’ and ‘Chhat Puja’ will take place soon and at it will not be possible for the chief minister to leave the state. Our home secretary and DGP will not be participating in the Chintan Shivir for of the same reason as the chief minister.,” the official told PTI.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah had sent an invitation to Banerjee last month to participate in the meeting, sources in the government said..
Shah is scheduled to meet home ministers of all states during the meeting and Prime Minister Narendra Modi is slated to speak on the concluding day on October 28.
The union home minister is likely to have discussions with Banerjee during the Eastern Zonal Council meeting scheduled to be held on November 5 at the West Bengal secretariat here, a senior official said.
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