Row Over President Murmu’s Visit: MHA Asks West Bengal Govt to Explain Venue Change, Protocol Issues

Kolkata: A controversy has erupted over alleged protocol lapses during President Droupadi Murmu’s recent visit to West Bengal, with the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) seeking a detailed report from the Mamata Banerjee-led state government.

The President was in Darjeeling district on Saturday to attend the International Santal Conclave, where she was the chief guest and main speaker.

According to sources at the state secretariat Nabanna, the MHA has questioned the state administration over the last-minute change of the event venue. The organisers had initially planned to hold the programme in the Phansidewa area near Siliguri, but the venue was later shifted to Gossaipur.

Officials said the communication from the MHA was sent to the office of West Bengal Chief Secretary Nandini Chakraborty, asking the state government to submit an explanation by Sunday evening.

The directive reportedly came from Union Home Secretary Govind Mohan, who asked the state to provide details on the circumstances that led to the situation and the steps taken by the administration to handle the issue.

President Murmu had originally been scheduled to reach North Bengal on Friday afternoon, but her visit was postponed due to unavoidable reasons. She finally arrived at Bagdogra Airport at around 11:30 am on Saturday.

After the venue change triggered controversy, the President later visited Phansidewa — the original location of the programme. During her remarks there, she expressed dissatisfaction over the developments while also referring to Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee as her younger sister.

President Murmu also noted that neither the Chief Minister nor any member of the state Cabinet met her during the visit, which she said was not in line with the usual protocol followed during a Presidential visit.

The developments sparked a political confrontation between the BJP and the Trinamool Congress. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and several BJP leaders criticised the state government over the issue.

However, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee rejected the allegations of protocol violations, asserting that the state administration had followed all procedures during the President’s visit. She also accused the BJP of attempting to use the country’s highest constitutional office for political purposes.