No matter how much the anti-BJP front falters, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is not ready to give up the fight. On Wednesday, August 9, while asking the BJP to quit India on the occasion of commemorating the iconic phase of the freedom struggle led by Mahatma Gandhi,
Banerjee also refused to allow the district magistrates of all 23 districts of her state to attend the video conference which was addressed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Bengali daily Anandabazaar Patrika reported.
Modi addressed 700 district magistrates from across the state through the video conferencing on the 75th anniversary of the Quit India Movement in the evening. The event named 'Manthan' was organised by the NITI Aayog and invitation was sent to the district magistrates and other senior officers. But Banerjee asked them not to attend the PM's speech saying there was no requirement. She instead wanted a few senior officers to attend it just for the sake of it, the report added.
Sources in the state secretariat told ABP that Banerjee is of the opinion that district magistrates are mainly state-level officials and should abide by the state governments. This is also not the first time that Banerjee objected to the Centre's alleged effort to influence administrative officials of the state.
She had objected to the Centre's asking new officials to undergo training in New Delhi before getting posted in the state. She also alleged that the speech by the PM was intended at brainwashing the bureaucrats and create obstacles in her administration's functioning.
