West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday, 22 July, said that she would be meeting with the prime minister and the president during her visit to Delhi next week.
"I will go for 2-3 days (to Delhi). I have been given time to meet with President, Prime Minister, I will meet them. I have also got requests from political leaders. I will try to accommodate them," Banerjee was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.
This will be the first in-person, one-on-one meeting between Banerjee and the Prime Minister after a long-drawn feud between the two following the Bengal assembly elections in May.
The Bengal CM further hinted that she would be taking up the matter of the imminent third wave of COVID-19 during her meetings in Delhi. "Centre has had no discussions on third COVID wave," she told reporters on Thursday.
A gathering of TMC MPs had reportedly been held at the house of party leader Sukhendu Shekhar Roy over lunch on Thursday, to discuss Banerjee's plan for her upcoming Delhi visit.
'Spy-Giri': Mamata Slams BJP Over Pegasus Spy Op Reports
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday, 21 July, slammed the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led Union government on the Pegasus snoop gate row. "Instead of giving money to the poor, you are spending money on spy-giri," she said, at the TMC's annual Shahid Dibas (Martyrs' Day) event.
Banerjee's nephew and TMC MP, Abhishek Banerjee, was identified as a potential target of the Israeli spyware software, Pegasus, used to remotely hack phones without leaving a trace.
Political strategist Prashant Kishor, who had managed the TMC's recent election campaign, was also allegedly targeted by the software.
"I have plastered my phone camera," said Banerjee, addressing the event. "It's time to plaster the BJP also," she added, holding up her phone to show that the camera had been covered with scotch tape.
The event also saw Mamata strongly calling for a united Opposition front against the BJP in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
(With inputs from ANI)
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