According to a senior official, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who is also in charge of the home department, will not attend the two-day meeting of state home ministers convened by the Centre at Surajkund in Haryana.
The state government will not send Home Secretary B P Gopalika or Director General of Police (DGP) Manoj Malviya, but will send Additional Director General (Home Guard) Niraj Kumar Singh, he said.
Ram Das Meena, West Bengal’s Resident Commissioner in New Delhi, will also attend the meeting, according to the official.
“It’s festival season, and there are several events planned. Bhai Phota (Bhai Dooj) will be held on Thursday, and ‘Chhat Puja’ will follow soon after. The chief minister will be unable to leave the state. For the same reason as the chief minister, our home secretary and DGP will not be attending the Chintan Shivir,” an official told PTI.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah invited Banerjee to attend the meeting last month, according to government sources.
During the meeting, Shah will meet with the home ministers of all states, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address them on the final day, October 28.
