The Trinamool Congress (TMC), on Sunday, said the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) did not call West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to inquire about the ground situation after Cyclone Fani hit the state on Saturday rather it called the office of state Governor Keshari Nath Tripathi.
The TMC attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi, alleging that he did not respect the federal structure of India. It said that even though the PMO had called Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, it did not get in touch with the WB CM, thus “disrespecting” the office of the chief minister.
In its reply, the PMO said that the allegations of the TMC and its displeasure are not correct.
The PMO said, “Two attempts were made on Saturday morning from the prime minister’s staff to connect prime minister to the West Bengal Chief Minister on phone. The first time, they were told that the CM is on a tour and the call will be returned. On the second occasion too, it was told by the Chief Minister’s office that the call will be returned.
Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik had, on Saturday, stated that PM Modi called him to take stock of the situation and the relief work being carried out in Odisha following the May 3 landfall of Cyclone Fani. The Prime Minister is scheduled to visit Odisha on Monday.
Fani caused large-scale devastation in the state while parts of West Bengal also were severely affected.
Cyclone Fani crossed over to Bangladesh on Saturday and is expected to cause heavy rain in north-eastern regions of India on Sunday and Monday after having lost much of its strength, reports news agency ANI.