After the row over the review meeting with PM Modi over discussion on the impacts of cyclone Yaas, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee hit out at the centre for what she described as showing one-sided narrative which alleged that she made PM wait for half an hour for the meeting.

On the argument of one-sided news Mamata Banerjee stated, “The Union government targeted me yesterday by giving out selective news. News that was one-sided and there was no way of finding out what the whole story is. So, I decided to hold this press briefing to let you all know what happened overall.”

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Chiding the centre, West Bengal CM said that she had to change plans due to the sudden visit of PM to the cyclone-hit areas. On this, she said, “I had made plans to visit cyclone-hit areas. I had to travel to Sagar and Digha to see the damage caused by Cyclone Yaas. All my plans were made and ready, then suddenly we get a call that Prime Minister wants to visit Bengal to assess the situation after the cyclone. So, we made plans accordingly.”

Mamata Banerjee also alleged that she was made to wait and was not informed that the meeting had already begun.

On this she said, “We were made to wait for 20 minutes and were told that the PM’s helicopter will land there, so we waited patiently. By the time were reached the place where the PM-Chief Minister meeting was to be held, we found out that the PM had already arrived there some time ago and that there was a meeting going on. We were asked to wait outside, told that there will be no entry at the moment because a meeting is going on. We waited patiently for a while. Then, when we asked again, we were told that no one can enter for the next one hour.”

Ms Banerjee also alleged and pointed out that the meeting was going on against the brief, where some MLAs of opposition party in state legislature were present.

On this, CM Banerjee went on to add, “Then someone told us that the meeting has moved to a conference hall, so the Chief Secretary and I decided to go there. When we reached there, we saw the PM was in a meeting with the governor, central leaders and even some MLAs of the opposition party. This was clearly against the brief. It was supposed to be only a PM-Chief Minister meeting. So we decided to submit our report to the PM and then with the Prime Minister’s permission we went to Digha.”

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Mamata Banerjee further stated that she went to Digha after taking permission from PM. On the pictures taken of vacant seats, she stated in a caustic remark, “There were some vacant seats, but there was no need to sit as we were leaving for Digha. Next we see that a photo has been given to the press of vacant seats. That is not done. Every time the central government targets me like this.”

She castigated the centre of disturbing the functioning of the government and said, “When the PM reviewed in Gujarat, Odisha, other states, opposition party members were not present. But in Bengal, opposition leaders were present. Every time you come here, you do something to disturb the functioning of our government.”

In a rather smart statement which addressed the chief secretaries across the nations, she put forth a rhetoric that the home minister cannot recall the chief secretary (Alapan Bandopadhyay) just like that. In this regard, she added, “By doing this you are insulting all Chief Secretaries across the nation – in all states.” Ms Banerjee also stated that since the BJP lost the state assembly election, and is not able to digest the defeat, the centre (led by BJP) is playing such political games.