Eleventh hour invite keeps Mamata away as Smriti Irani inaugurates Sealdah metro station

KOLKATA: Amid controversy over the way Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee was invited for the event, the Sealdah metro railway station of the East-West Metro corridor was inaugurated by Union minister Smriti Irani on Wednesday.

Sources at the Nabanna, the state secretariat, said the invitation to the CM was received but she will be travelling to north Bengal on Monday but the Trinamool Congress, slammed the BJP government at the Centre, alleging that the CM was invited at the eleventh hour following mounting public criticism.

‘’This is nothing but last-minute realisation by the Metro on its mistake in the face of mounting public criticism They knew the CM’s plan to visit north Bengal, but still thy organised the event so that she is not available,’’ alleged TMC MP Sukhendu Sekhar Roy.

TMC MP Sudip Bandopadhyay and TMC MLA Paresh Pal were invited to the event.

With the inauguration of the new facility, Sealdah has been connected with the IT hub in Sector V, Salt Lake. The services will be available for common people from July 15.

The BJP alleged the TMC unnecessarily is raising hue and cry knowing well that the CM was invited and sometimes, such incitation process takes time.

"None of our elected representatives in the Parliament and in the Bengal Assembly get invitations from the state government to attend official events. The TMC should hold a mirror to itself,’’ said BJP’s national vice-president Dilip Ghosh

The Metro Railway Kolkata, which is a part of the Indian Railways, on Sunday night said they sent the invitations for the programme to the Chief Minister's Office (CMO), local MP Bandyopadhyay and local TMC MLA Paresh Pal.

The TMC has been claiming that the railways scheduled the inauguration on Monday, knowing very well that the chief minister would be not in the city to attend it.

Also, the invitation was sent to her office at the "last minute" under public pressure.

Banerjee is on a tour to northern West Bengal.

Criticising the TMC, BJP leader Rahul Sinha said the ruling party is "paying for its past sins".

"During the Left Front government, Mamata Banerjee, as the railway minister, did not invite then chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee to official functions on several occasions. So they should be the last to talk about courtesy," he said.

"Even then, the chief minister, and the local TMC MP and MLA were invited, but they want to make an issue out of it," Sinha added.

The foundation stone for the East-West Metro project, which will connect Howrah to Kolkata and Salt Lake when fully operational, was laid in February 2009 by the then chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee.

(With PTI Inputs)