After Ditching Opposition Meet Over CAA, Mamata Banerjee To Share Dais With PM Modi On Sunday

There is a possibility that the West Bengal CM may also meet the Prime Minister separately at the Raj Bhavan after the 150th anniversary celebration of the Kolkata Port Trust at the Netaji Indoor Stadium.

Left parties have declared they would stage protests against PM Modi and show him black flags. (File Photo/ Getty)

Kolkata: A day after Mamata Banerjee refused to attend the Opposition meeting convened by Congress interim President Sonia Gandhi on January, the West Bengal Chief Minister will reportedly share a same dais with her political arch rival Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday. PM Modi will arrive in Kolkata on Saturday for a two-day visit to West Bengal. On Thursday, the Trinamool Congress (TMC) chief refused to attend an opposition meeting to be chaired by Congress chief Sonia Gandhi over campus violence and the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA). She registering her protest over the violence unleashed in the state allegedly by Left Front and Congress workers during a trade union strike on January 8. As per his itinerary, PM Modi will spend Saturday night at the Raj Bhavan and attend the 150th anniversary programme of the Kolkata Port Trust on Sunday morning. Sources close to PTI have said that there is a possibility that the West Bengal CM may also meet the Prime Minister separately at the Raj Bhavan after the 150th anniversary celebration of the Kolkata Port Trust at the Netaji Indoor Stadium. Though, nothing officially has been announced by either TMC or the Central government. Both PM Modi and Banerjee have not shared the stage at any government programme ever since the BJP emerged as one of the toughest rival for TMC in the state leaving behind Congress and the Left front. As per reports, PM Modi will be travelling from the airport to the heritage Currency Building in BBD Bag area in Kolkata's central business district, where he is scheduled to inaugurate a programme. Thereafter, he is scheduled to attend a light and sound show at the iconic Howrah bridge from the Millenium Park on the banks of the Ganga. From there, the PM is slated to visit Belur Math, the global headquarters of the Rama Krishna Mission, taking the river route. "The River Police on both banks of the Ganga has been put on alert and river patrolling increased in view of the prime minister's schedule," the official told news agency PTI. The state has seen violence and arson since the Citizenship Amendment Bill was passed in Parliament last month, with agigators vandalising railway property, setting ablaze vehicles and blocking major roads in various cities. The state administration, however, claimed that a 'foolproof' security cover has been put in place to thwart attempts to create disturbance. A helicopter, however, will be kept as standby to accommodate any alteration in the PM's travel plans, the official said, adding, last-minute changes to his itinerary will be handled by the Special Protection Group (SPG). Several organisations, including those linked to the Left parties, have declared they would stage protests against Modi and show him black flags, officials said. According to sources, these organisations have planned to muster their supporters along the route the prime minister is scheduled to take after his arrival at the airport. "We have planned foolproof security arrangements for the PM's visit. As part of the measures, barricades will be put up along the edges of the roads from the airport to the city on Saturday evening. There will also be an extra security cover along this stretch," officials said. Banerjee has maintained that she would not allow the implementation of the Citizenship Amendment Act in her state, and repetedly urged protesters to shun violence to get across their point.