Ahead of the election to the office of President, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday met her Assam counterpart Himata Biswa Sarma in Darjeeling. The meeting occurred in the presence of Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar at the Raj Bhavan in Darjeeling.
Speaking to journalists after the meeting, Ms. Banerjee said there was no political discussion between the two Chief Ministers. The Trinamool Congress chairperson also denied any discussion on the Presidential election.
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“We should have good relations [with Assam]. There are many people from West Bengal who live in Assam and many people from Assam who live here. We also share a border with Assam.. There is State government-to-State government links but we should also talk to each other,” Ms. Banerjee said.
The Assam Chief Minister said he was visiting the Darjeeling hills at the invitation of West Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar.
“At the invitation of Hon’ble Governor of West Bengal Shri Jagdeep Dhankhar ji, visiting Darjeeling for a day! Coming from the land of Assam tea, looking forward to experiencing the commonality and uniqueness of life in another land famous for its tea – Darjeeling,” Mr. Sarma tweeted earlier in the day.
While Ms. Banerjee was visiting the hills to participate in a number of events, including the swearing-in of newly elected Gorkhaland Territorial Administration ( GTA) members, the visit of the Assam Chief Minister comes as a surprise.
Despite playing a crucial role in fielding the Opposition candidate Yashwant Sinha, Ms. Banerjee had softened her stand on the candidature of National Democratic Alliance (NDA) presidential nominee Droupadi Murmu on July 1. Ms. Banerjee said she would have reconsidered their stand had the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) discussed her candidature in advance. She also added that Ms. Murmu had a higher chance of getting elected to the highest office in the country.
