West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday said development and not politics was discussed during her meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, PTI reported. The meeting triggered speculation as Opposition leaders, including the Trinamool Congress chief, have plans to select a common candidate.
“This was not a political meeting, [but an] absolutely development-oriented meeting. I have taken up several issues with the prime minister,” Banerjee told reporters. Among the matters discussed was the state’s debt situation, Farakka barrage, Bangladesh’s export duty on mangoes from the state and Dhaka’s proposal to construct a dam over the Atrai river, the chief minister said.
Banerjee said she had demanded a restructured financial aid package to her state. “I have to pay Rs 40,000 crore. How do we work in such a scenario,” she said.
Banerjee has consistently been one of the Modi-led administration’s harshest critics, especially after he had announced the launch of the demonetisation drive in November 2016.
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