New Delhi: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee met her Odisha counterpart Naveen Patnaik amid a speculation over the Trinamool Congress (TMC) supremo leading an initiative to forge an alliance of Opposition regional parties, leaving Congress, ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
Addressing reporters at the end of the meeting at Naveen Niwas, the Odisha CM said, "We resolved to make the federal structure of the country permanent and strong. There was no other political discussion." Banerjee seconded Patnaik and said, "I strongly support what Naveen ji said and I appreciate this."
The meeting between the two non-BJP chief ministers assumes significance in the light of Banerjee’s recent interaction with Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav in Kolkata, where the parties decided to keep both the Congress and the BJP at an arm’s length.
According to reports, CM Mamata Banerjee had arrived in Bhubaneswar on Tuesday and offered prayers at Shree Jagannath Temple in Puri the following day. However, CM Naveen Patnaik had in a statement on Tuesday said nothing has been discussed yet on forming an Opposition alliance ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.
During her Odisha visit, Banerjee witnessed the 'aarti' and also visited the temple of Maa Laxmi and Maa Bimala in the temple premises.
She also selected a piece of land near the temple, popular among people from Bengal, for the construction of a Bengal Niwas for visitors from the state.
"I have been given the privilege of a state guest and therefore got accommodation, but journalists who came from Bengal on Tuesday faced difficulties. Puri needs more hotels and rooms," PTI quoted Mamata Banerjee as saying.
Notably, Mamata Banerjee is also scheduled to meet former Karnataka Chief Minister and JD(S) leader HD Kumaraswamy in Kolkata on Friday. She is also likely to meet AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal in Delhi later this month during her protest against what she calls "injustice and denial of funds to Bengal" and "dictatorship attitude of the Union government".