Mamata meets PM; raises issue of state's renaming, invites him to Bengal

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee met Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday but the NRC process did not figure during their discussion which was mostly on developmental issues.

The Trinamool Congress chief, who is opposed to implementation of a National Register of Citizens (NRC) in her state, later said there was no provision of this process of preparing a list of genuine citizens being extended to West Bengal.

She also raised the issue of the state's renaming and invited Modi to Bengal.

The meeting at the prime minister's residence lasted for about half an hour. Banerjee said the discussion was not political but focused on developmental issues of the state.

She met the prime minister for the first time after he won a second term. She did not turn up for Modi's swearing-in ceremony and skipped a meeting of the Niti Aayog.

Talking to reporters later, she said, "Haven't spoken about NRC with the PM. NRC is part of the Assam Accord, hence there is no provision of its implementation all over the country or in West Bengal. Neither there is any proposal, nor will it ever be done in Bengal."