President Murmu Declines Trinamool Delegation Weeks Before Crucial Bengal Polls

The office of Droupadi Murmu has declined a request from the All India Trinamool Congress for a meeting with a party delegation, citing a “paucity of time", according to sources on Friday. The request was reportedly made earlier this week by a Senior Trinamool Leader seeking an appointment with the President for a 12-member delegation. The delegation intended to brief Murmu on welfare initiatives implemented by the West Bengal Government for tribal communities and discuss what the party described as efforts toward inclusive development in the state.

Sources said the Trinamool Congress had initially written to the President on Monday requesting an appointment and later followed up with another letter asking whether a meeting could be scheduled next week. However, the President's office declined the request, reportedly pointing to scheduling constraints. The development comes amid a tense political atmosphere following a public exchange between the President and the West Bengal Government over alleged protocol lapses during a recent visit.

The disagreement traces back to a conference on tribal welfare held in Siliguri last week, where President Murmu questioned the absence of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee or any cabinet ministers from the official delegation that received her at Bagdogra Airport. Murmu also raised concerns about a change in the venue of the event and suggested that tribal communities in the region might not be fully benefiting from welfare programmes offered by the central government.

Also Read: PM Modi Accuses Congress of Spreading LPG Panic Amid Global Energy Crisis

During her address, the President reportedly questioned whether development initiatives were reaching tribal groups such as the Santhals in the region. She suggested that some individuals might be preventing tribal communities from accessing central welfare schemes. The remarks were widely interpreted as criticism of the state administration’s handling of welfare outreach and triggered a strong reaction from the West Bengal government.

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee responded sharply, dismissing the President’s remarks as politically motivated and timed to coincide with the upcoming Assembly elections. She urged Murmu not to make statements that could be perceived as political and argued that the president had focused on one community while overlooking broader development initiatives across the state. Banerjee also raised concerns about revisions to voter rolls, claiming that some tribal voters may have been removed from electoral lists.

The dispute has since drawn in the Bharatiya Janata Party, which governs at the centre under Narendra Modi. Modi criticised what he described as protocol lapses during the president's visit, calling the situation “shameful” and expressing concern over the treatment of the head of state. Meanwhile, the West Bengal government has denied any breach of protocol, maintaining that the event attended by Murmu was privately organised and that the state administration followed proper procedures. The tensions come as West Bengal prepares for Assembly elections expected in April or May, setting the stage for a fierce contest between the Trinamool Congress and the BJP.

Also Read: 'No Life Insurance for Him': Netanyahu's Chilling Warning to Iran's New Supreme Leader