3 min readKolkata, New DelhiMar 9, 2026 01:34 AM IST
The verbal duel between the BJP and TMC over the alleged protocol violation during President Droupadi Murmu’s visit to West Bengal on Saturday continued for the second day on Sunday with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and CM Mamata Banerjee targeting each other.
In Delhi, Prime Minister Narendra Modi slammed the Mamata government for “disrespecting” a “tribal President” and that “TMC’s dirty politics will end soon”.
“The boycott and mismanagement of the President’s programme is an insult to the Constitution and every daughter of this nation, and the people will never forgive this arrogance of power,” the PM said at an event in Delhi.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on the other hand launched a scathing counter-attack on the PM from her sit-in site at Esplanade. Addressing the crowd on the third day of her protest, Mamata dismissed the allegations of disrespecting President Murmu and instead accused the PM of “hypocrisy” and “electoral posturing”.
Holding up a photograph, Mamata questioned the PM’s own adherence to protocol. “PM Modi, this is for you. Let me show you an image. Do you pay respect to President Murmu, who is a woman and a tribal leader? Why are you sitting while the President is standing? This image is proof of who pays respect and who doesn’t. We honour every respectable chair,” she said.
Mamata further alleged that the Prime Minister only shows interest in Bengal’s diverse communities—including the Bauri, Bagdi, Lodha, and Santhals—when elections are on the horizon.
Addressing the specifics of the President’s visit and the reported logistical lapses, the Chief Minister shifted the accountability back to the Central authorities and the private organisers.
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“The programme was not organised by us. It was organised by a private organisation. From the state government, a letter was sent which clearly stated that the organisation doesn’t have the capability to organise a programme which involves the Hon’ble President of India… The issue of why people did not turn up for the programme should be addressed by the organisers,” she said.
Regarding complaints about facilities at the venue, Mamata said, “I cross-checked the washroom-related issue that was highlighted. The matter is under the jurisdiction of the Airport Authority of India… The area doesn’t belong to us. If anything has gone wrong, it is their failure. So, don’t blame us.”
“We respect the Constitution like our mother. Just because polls are coming, you blamed us … I was at the dharna, how could I have left it? Before the dharna started, I was not aware of the programme,” Mamata said.
Meanwhile, speaking to reporters in Delhi, senior BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad said Mamata’s politics can be summed up as “Rashtrapati ka karen apmaan aur ghuspethiyon ko banaye mehmaan (Insult the President and host the infiltrators)”.
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“Mamata Banerjee and her government have disrespected President Droupadi Murmu. The President travelled to Siliguri for the inauguration of the Santhali Film Festival, but at Bagdogra Airport, neither the CM nor any authorised minister or senior government official was present to receive her,” Prasad said.
