Tripura CM Biplab Deb to be in Delhi in first week of May for various 'meetings'

Deb's meetings in Delhi with Central Ministers comes at a time when some of the comments courted controversy and have triggered widespread criticism.

Biplab Kumar Deb (PIC/Twitter account/ File)

Guwahati: Tripura Chief Minister Biplab Deb will be in Delhi for four days in the first week of May to attend various meetings including an event on "Gram Swaraj" at the Rashtrapati Bhavan. "The Chief Minister will reach Delhi on May 1 in the night and will attend a programme on Gram Swaraj at Rashtrapati Bhavan. All the CMs have been invited for the event," a top official at Tripura Chief Minister's Officer told adding that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will also attend. On May 3, the Chief Minister will meet various Union Ministers regarding issues of development of the state, he said, adding that the next day, Deb will be attending a meeting with External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj where all his Chief Ministers from the other northeastern states will also be present. Deb's meetings in Delhi with Central Ministers comes at a time when some of the comments courted controversy and have triggered widespread criticism. Earlier, a BJP leader in Assam had claimed Deb had been summoned to Delhi by Modi and party chief Amit Shah over these. Deb had stated that the Internet and satellite communication existed during the Mahabharata era. He also questioned the crowning of Diana Hayden as Miss World in 1997. The Chief Minister also stated that mechanical engineers should not opt for civil services, but civil engineers should. He has also asked the educated youth to set up paan shops instead of running after political parties to get government jobs. He also asked youth to explore a career in the dairy field and keep cows. Recently, during an interaction with Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MPs and MLAs through the Narendra Modi mobile app, the Prime Minister had advised BJP leaders not to give "masala" to the media by getting into every issue as soon as they saw camerapersons, saying such "mistakes" affect the country, party and the individual's image. He had also suggested to the party leaders not to blame the media for reporting their statements as due to their own mistakes, the real issue gets diverted. Meanwhile, the CMO official also said that the reports that the Chief Minister has been summoned by the Prime Minister Modi and the BJP chief are "baseless". "The schedule of the CM was fixed 20 days back," he said.