Courtsey visit, says Mamata after her meet with PM Modi

NEW DELHI: West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee refused to reply on whether she took up the Pegasus snooping issue with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday, during her first meeting with him after. “Sometimes what I discuss in detail… I cannot say it publicly,” she said in reply to a question from TOI, on whether the Pegasus issue came up during the 35 minutes meeting between PM Modi and Banerjee on Tuesday. The chief minister was speaking to the media after her meeting with the PM.
The Trinamool Congress chief also said that she was in favour of an all-party meeting on the Pegasus snooping issue and “wanted a Supreme Court-monitored investigation into the matter”.
The TMC chief said, her first meeting with PM Modi was “a courtesy call” for which she had sought time. “After two years I have come to Delhi… this was the first time after our government returned to office for a third time with the blessings of the people... I had the opportunity to meet with the Prime Minister… it is a constitutional protocol… had met him once before, at Kalaikonda but that was an official meeting,” Banerjee told the media describing the meeting as a “cordial” one.
Banerjee said she took up “the Covid situation… vaccines and medicines are in short supply as compared to the population in our state… now the covid spread is down to 1% from the 33% to which it had gone up after the eight phase assembly elections… we want to take measures before a third phase hits.” She added that she spoke to the PM about Bengal projects and also on the demand for renaming West Bengal. On Modi’s response, she said, “I cannot talk about what the Prime Minister said as it does not look good, since he is not present here. But he said he will definitely look into the matters.”
Replying to questions on how opposition unity often fails due to personal ambitions, she said, “Opposition unity, I am always hopeful on it, always open on it.” Asked if she will lead the opposition brigade against BJP in 2024, the TMC chief replied: “Hum nahi lead karengey… no, no. The country will lead, we will follow.”
On her meeting with Congress president Sonia Gandhi, Banerjee said, “Sonia ji has invited me for tea. I will go for a chai pe charcha (discussion over tea) with her tomorrow.”
On her meetings with Congress leaders Kamal Nath, Abhishek Manu Singhvi, who called on her on Tuesday and other party leaders lined up for Wednesday like Anand Sharma, Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal and others, she said, “many party leaders… many of them are old friends… purana din ki baat, naya din ki baat, miljul kehi kartey hai (we talk of old times, new times, all rolled into one).”
Banerjee also made it clear that she wanted the seven bypolls pending in Bengal to be held at the earliest. “We want it now since the covid spread has gone down to 1 % from 33% since after the elections… if the third wave comes they cannot do the elections… it will become difficult.”
While she has an appointment with President Ramnath Kovind on Thursday after he is back from Kashmir. “But they are asking for RTPCR test, even as I have double vaccination… where will I go now for the test… So I have requested to them… President’s health is priority concern and also our responsibility,” she said.