Kolkata, April 19 -- The Trinamool Congress (TMC) leadership in Jhargram on Sunday held a Press conference sharply criticising Prime Minister Narendra Modi, accusing him of displaying an "Adivasi-Birodhi" (anti-tribal) mindset following an alleged aviation clearance issue involving Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren.
According to TMC leaders, Soren and his wife, MLA Kalpana Soren, were denied permission to land their helicopter in Jhargram during Modi's visit. The party claimed that the two elected representatives were kept waiting for hours and were ultimately forced to return to Ranchi without completing their scheduled programme.
TMC alleged that the delay occurred because the Prime Minister extended his stay in the area, reportedly for informal engagements like buying puffed rice, which took precedence over other scheduled movements. Calling the incident a "serious affront to democratic norms," party leaders argued that denying access to two elected representatives reflects a lack of respect for constitutional positions and federal principles.
The ruling party in West Bengal further stated that the episode exposes what it described as the Centre's disregard for Adivasi leadership, especially those not aligned with the BJP. "This is not just an administrative lapse, but a deliberate insult to the dignity of elected leaders," a TMC spokesperson said.
The party also sought to link the incident to the ongoing political narrative ahead of the upcoming polls, asserting that the people of Bengal would "take note" of the development.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.