Union home minister Amit Shah is slated to chair the Eastern Zonal Council meeting at Nabanna on November 5, which is likely to be attended by Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee and her counterparts in four other states.
Sources in the Bengal government said the November 5 meeting would be the first occasion when Mamata would attend any programme chaired by Shah after the Assembly polls in 2021.
“The ministry of home affairs (MHA) has confirmed that the Union home minister will be present at the meeting on November 5. It is yet to be confirmed whether all chief ministers of the eastern states will attend the meeting. Bengal chief minister is set to attend the meeting,” said a senior bureaucrat.
Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha, Sikkim and Bengal hold meetings at regular intervals under the chairmanship of the MHA to sort out inter-state issues.
“The MHA tries to resolve some issues which could not be settled by the states. That is why the Eastern Zonal Council meeting is held. Issues related to railways, national highways and inter-state borders are discussed at these meetings,” said a senior bureaucrat at Nabanna.
Topics like the completion of the eastern freight corridor and issues related to international borders with Bengal and Silkkim would come up at the November 5 session.
Along with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Shah had taken the lead role in the BJP’s polarising campaign for the 2021 Bengal Assembly polls. After the Trinamul Congress defeated the BJP, Mamata and Shah haven’t met each other.
The ruling establishment in Bengal has held Shah as the mastermind behind the proactive roles of central agencies against Trinamul leaders. “The two leaders are set to attend the meeting in this backdrop. It remains to be seen how they get over the politics and play their constitutional roles,” said the bureaucrat.
CM to visit Chennai
Mamata Banerjee is also set to attend a family programme of Bengal governor La. Ganesan in Chennai on November 3. “The chief minister is scheduled to visit Chennai on November 2 and she is set to come back to Calcutta on November 3 after attending the programme,” said a source.