Mamata to skip Modi's swearing-in

Party General Secy Mukul Roy, state finance and industry minister Amit Mitra to attend instead of Mamata

Putting all speculations on Trinamool Congress' participation in the new government's swearing-in ceremony to rest, the states Urban Development Minister Firhad Hakim told reporters today that the TMC General Secretary Mukul Roy and state finance and industry minister Amit Mitra would be representing West Bengal Chief Minister and TMC chief Mamata Banerjee, as the latter has a pre-scheduled programme.

Banerjee would be celebrating poet, Kazi Nazrul Islam's birth anniversary. The party MPs were undecided till date whether they would be attending Modi's swearing-in ceremony due to lack of a clear directive from the TMC Supremo. Political observers, were however, half-expecting Banerjee to skip the ceremony.

"Banerjee would not like to be seen attending Modi's swearing-in ceremony, especially since the Muslim votes in Bengal had consolidated in her favour in the recent elections," they said. Bengal has a Muslim population of 28 per cent. At the same time, TMC does not want to take on the new government head-on from the beginning and hence the decision to send two senior leaders from the party.

The Mamata-Modi relationship, merits mention, had reached an all-time low when Modi criticised Mamata over the Saradha scam, illegal Bangladeshi immigrant and warned her government about strict action if he became the Prime Minister. While Mamata responded by calling Modi a 'devil', 'donkey' and even called him a rioter.

Firhad Hakim told reporters that the party received an invitation from Narendra Modi seeking their participation on the swearing- in ceremony to be held on 26 May at the Rashtrapati Bhavan.