Didi meets Modi, raises state issues

Kolkata: West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee met Prime Minister Narendra Modi at Raj Bhavan on Friday evening and raised the demand for the release of pending Central dues under various welfare schemes to the
state apart from other issues.

The meeting took place hours after Mr Modi tore into the Trinamul Congress government and slammed the CM over violence against women, corruption and scams at a BJP rally in Arambagh of Hooghly and arrived at Raj Bhavan, where he would spend the night.

“The elections are yet to be declared. There is a protocol for us to meet the President and the PM whenever they visit the state. Since I could not go to the RCTC grounds where the Prime Minister reached via helicopter, I got time to meet him. It was my courtesy and a protocol meeting. This was not at all a political meeting. We chatted for some time. Chat happens between us more than talk on politics,” Ms Banerjee said.

Asked about the demand for clearance of Central dues, the West Bengal chief minister  said, “I raised that matter too.”