Opposition parties in the state have alleged that Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s visit to Delhi under the pretext of attending a Niti Ayog meeting was actually a strategic move to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The opposition claims that Banerjee aimed to influence the BJP-led Centre to halt investigations by central agencies into various corruption cases, including the school jobs scam, in order to protect her former education minister Partha Chatterjee, who was recently arrested by the Enforcement Directorate.

State president of the Congress, Adhir Chowdhury, asserted that whenever there is a crisis, the Chief Minister heads to Delhi to manage things, and her current visit is no exception. Similarly, CPI(M) leader Sujan Chakraborty stated that the BJP and TMC are two sides of the same coin, and Banerjee’s visit to Delhi during a crisis was expected. He also suggested that TMC’s decision to abstain from the vice-presidential election was aimed at benefiting the BJP.

Adding to the criticism, BJP’s all-India vice-president Dilip Ghosh commented that Banerjee tends to go to Delhi for peace whenever she is in trouble. However, Trinamool MLA Tapas Roy defended Banerjee’s visit, stating that if she hadn’t gone, the Opposition would have criticized her for not adhering to the country’s federal structure.

During her meeting with the Prime Minister, Banerjee discussed various issues concerning her state, including GST dues and the timely release of funds by the Centre under various schemes. The meeting, which lasted about an hour, was shared by the Prime Minister’s Office through a picture. Partha Chatterjee and his associate Arpita Mukherjee were subsequently sent to 14-day judicial custody by a special court.