Kolkata, Jun 18 (UNI) After skipping Niti Ayog meeting last week, West Bengal Chief Minister
Mamata Banerjee will also give a miss to Prime Minister Narendra Modi-convened all party
heads' meeting in New Delhi on June 19.
Mr Modi is scheduled to chair the meeting of heads of various political parties in both
Houses of Parliament on the eve of the Budget Session, 2019, at Parliament Library Building,
New Delhi, at 3 PM tomorrow.
Party sources said the Trinamool Congress chairperson would not be able to attend the
meeting for her pre-occupation.
Ms Banerjee also skipped the Niti Ayog meeting on June 15, saying the Ayog is toothless
and has no financial power.
In a letter to Mr Prahlad Joshi, Parliamentary Affairs Minister, Ms Banerjee said, " A proper response on such a sensitive and serious subject like the 'One Country, one election' in such
a short time would not do justice to the subject it deserves. The matter requires consultations
with constitutional experts, elections experts and above all the party members. "
"Instead of doing the matter hurriedly, I would request you to kindly circulate a White
Paper on the subject to all political parties inviting their views by providing adequate time.
If you only do so, we will be able to give concrete suggestions on this important subject,"
she opined.
Commenting on the development of aspirational districts, she said, " Our state is committed
to ensuring social and economic development of all districts uniformly so that regional
imbalances do not rise. "
Ms Banerjee, however, stated that the Trinamool Congress would participate wholeheartedly
in the 75 years of Independence in 2022 and 150 years of Mahatma Gandhi's birth anniversary
this year.
UNI PC-SJC