Packed day for Mamata as she meets PM, opposition leaders

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee today had a packed schedule here as she met a host of leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, seeking urgent release of funds for her state and pitching for use of ballot papers in polls.
Mixing administrative work and political lobbying, Mamata began her day with a meeting with Modi followed by confabulations with senior leaders of Congress, NCP, BJD and Samajwadi Party.
In her meeting with Modi she sought early release of Rs 10,000 crore due to her state under various centrally sponsored schemes and drew his attention to the problems faced by West Bengal due to lack of funds. The outstanding dues of Rs 10,469.01 crore are towards payment for MNREGA, Swachh Bharat Mission and some other schemes.

The Prime Minister said he would look into it, Mamata, who is in the national capital on a four-day visit since Saturday, said after the meeting.
The ebullient West Bengal Chief Minister, who has been opposing signing of the Teesta river water sharing pact with Bangladesh, declined to say anything on the issue.
Mamata, a strong votary of forging an anti BJP-alliance, met senior Congress leaders Ghulam Nabi Azad and Ahmed Patel. Later she also met NCP leader Praful Patel and Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had met her on Saturday.

The meetings assume significance as various non-BJP parties have been calling for a rainbow coalition to stop the march of the saffron party after the UP elections.

The Trinamool Congress chief has been one the most vocal critics of Prime Minister Modi and has several times suggested that non-BJP parties should join hands.
She, however, maintained that the meeting with Congress leaders was about approaching the Election Commission on the EVM issue. Parties likes BSP and AAP have alleged tampering with EVMs in the recent assembly elections in five states.
The meeting with the Congress strategists lasted about an hour in the TMC office at Parliament House which was followed by the one with Patel.
Mamata met the Odisha Chief Minister in the Central Hall of Parliament. "I wanted to meet him as I was told he was not keeping well," she said.

Later in the day Samajwadi Party president and former UP Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav also met her.
Mamata later advocated replacement of EVMs with ballot paper, saying "old is always gold". "If there is any doubt (about reliability of EVMs) then let's opt for ballot paper," the TMC supremo said, adding in democracy the Election Commission cannot ignore the demand of a "majority" of political parties.
"EVMs can be tampered with, so let's go back to the old system," Mamata said in an informal interaction with media.
Sixteen opposition parties later today urged the Election Commission to revert to the paper ballot system, claiming the faith of the people in the EVMs had "eroded".