Mamata Banerjee to meet PM Narendra Modi, Subramanian Swamy in Delhi today

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee meets Prime Minister Narendra Modi. (File image: Twitter/@PMOIndia)

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee will meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Delhi at 5pm today.

The two leaders are likely to discuss issues concerning the enhancement of the Border Security Force (BSF) jurisdiction as well as the ongoing “atrocities” in Tripura.

“During my visit to Delhi, I will be meeting the prime minister. Apart from various state-related matters, I will be raising issues concerning the enhancement of BSF jurisdiction as well as Tripura violence,” she told reporters before leaving for Delhi on a four-day visit.

The central government recently amended the BSF Act to authorise the force to undertake search, seizure, and arrest within a larger 50-km stretch, instead of 15 km, from the international borders in Punjab, West Bengal and Assam. Banerjee has been opposing the move.

“They (BSF) are not my enemy. They are also my friends. The BJP thinks it is safe if the BSF is safe,” said the Trinamool Congress (TMC) chief. “This is not correct. Every organisation or agency has a character of its own. Law and order in an area is a state subject. The BJP is utilising these agencies like the BSF for their party activities. I will not allow anyone to forcibly take hold of areas.”

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Banerjee will meet BJP MP Subramanian Swamy. Her meeting with Swamy attains significance in the backdrop of Trinamool’s continuing bid to induct politicians from different parties to emerge as a major force in national politics.

She welcomed Congress leader Kirti Azad into the TMC in Delhi on November 23. Former JDU general secretary Pavan Varma and Ashok Tanwar, who quit the Congress in 2019, have also joined the party.

(With inputs from PTI)