President’s secretariat declines TMC plea for appointment citing time constraints

Days after President Droupadi Murmu’s tour of West Bengal became a political flashpoint between the BJP-led Union government and the Trinamool Congress-led State government, a TMC request to meet the President to brief her on “welfare and development programmes for the upliftment of tribal communities” has been turned down by the President’s Secretariat, citing paucity of time.

During her visit, Ms. Murmu had publicly expressed displeasure over the arrangements made for an event she attended in Bengal and had also questioned why Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee did not meet her during the trip.

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On March 9, the Trinamool Congress wrote to the President seeking an appointment for a delegation comprising party MPs and Ministers from the West Bengal government. “The delegation wishes to proudly share with you the many initiatives by the government of West Bengal, under the leadership of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, for the inclusive development of all sections of society,” the letter stated.

The TMC said the State government had, for more than a decade, implemented “path-breaking welfare and development programmes” aimed at uplifting tribal communities, including initiatives in education, social security, livelihood support, and infrastructure development for SC, ST, and OBC communities across the State.

In its response, the President’s Secretariat said the request had been considered but “could not be acceded to due to paucity of time.”

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The TMC replied that while it understood the constraints on the President’s schedule for the week, it hoped the request could be reconsidered at a time convenient for her. The President’s secretariat has not yet responded to the second e-mail from the TMC. 

The controversy began on March 7, when Ms. Murmu travelled to Siliguri to attend the 9th International Santal Conference, a gathering of tribal organisations. During her interaction at the event, she voiced displeasure over what she described as lapses in arrangements. She also noted that when the President visits a State, the Chief Minister and Ministers are “generally expected” to be present. Soon after, the Union Home Ministry sought a detailed explanation from the West Bengal administration regarding alleged violations of protocol guidelines set out in the government’s Blue Book, which governs the security and official arrangements for visits by the President and other top constitutional authorities.