Invite 'not proper', Mamata Banerjee skips West Bengal CM Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose's statue unveiling

New Delhi, September 8

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday criticised the Centre’s “lack of decency” in sending an invite to her through an undersecretary for the unveiling ceremony of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose’s statue in New Delhi.

She asserted that she was “no servant” of the BJP-led dispensation.

“I received a letter on Tuesday from someone at the undersecretary level, saying PM Narendra Modi will inaugurate the Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose statue at 7 pm and I should be there by 6 pm. Is this how you write to an elected Chief Minister? Am I a bonded labourer?

“An undersecretary cannot write to a CM inviting her. Why didn’t the Culture Ministry write to me?” she stated.

Mamata also said she decided against attending the programme and instead “garlanded the statue of Netaji in Kolkata”.

“Is this decency? I didn’t go. I garlanded Netaji’s statue in Kolkata this afternoon and paid my respects,” she maintained.