PM Modi to arrive in Kolkata on two-day visit

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to arrive here on Saturday on a two-day visit, during which he will attend sesquicentenary celebrations of Kolkata Port Trust and hold a meeting with Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.

The visit comes at a time West Bengal has been witnessing protests against the amended Citizenship Act.

Apart from attending scheduled programmes, the prime minister will hold a one-on-one meeting with Banerjee at the Raj Bhavan Saturday evening.

The meeting assumes significance as the new citizenship law has emerged as the latest flashpoint in the state, with Banerjee's Trinamool Congress opposing the contentious legislation tooth and nail, and the BJP pressing for its implementation.

The prime minister will dedicate to the nation four refurbished heritage buildings in Kolkata -- the Old Currency Building, the Belvedere House, the Metcalfe House and the Victoria Memorial Hall.

The Culture Ministry has renovated these iconic galleries and refurbished them with new exhibitions, while curating the old galleries.

Modi will also participate in the sesquicentenary celebrations of the Kolkata Port Trust on Saturday and Sunday.

The prime minister and the chief minister will share dais at the programme at Netaji Indoor Stadium. West Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar will also be present.

The prime minister is also scheduled to visit Belur Math, the headquarters of Ramakrishna Mission, on Saturday.

The West Bengal administration has made elaborate security arrangements for the visit.

Several opposition parties, including the CPI(M) and the Congress, and some student organisations are scheduled to hold protests across the city against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and the proposed countrywide National Register of Citizens.