Sick of Delhi, Mamata Banerjee is taken ill in Kolkata

West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee is sick of Delhi. “Delhi is not a safe city,” she said and cut short her visit to the Capital.

A day after being jeered at, heckled, and pushed around by activists of the Students Federation of India (SFI) at the Planning Commission, an angry Banerjee told reporters on Wednesday that she had missed her appointments with PM Manmohan Singh as well as finance minister P Chidambaram and was returning to Kolkata because she was unwell.

Meanwhile, a Delhi police report, submitted to the home ministry, suggests that Banerjee did not heed the planning commission and police’s warnings that she should enter from the VIP gate as the main entry gate was blocked by the protesters.

The report said she chose to walk through the main entry gate. Though Delhi police have registered a case against the attackers, the report says the gate was already locked and when Banerjee came, the gate was opened and after her entry, it was immediately closed.

But when West Bengal finance  minister, Amit Mitra, who was following her, walked to the same gate, he was gheraoed and manhandled.

When confronted as to why did she not go by the advice, Mamata shot back: “Why should I? Do you think I am a beggar? I never bow down. I consider myself as an LIP (less important person) rather than a VIP.” Later, she left in a private jet for Kolkata.

She had planned her Delhi visit in pursuance of her efforts to convince the Centre to grant special aid to her bankrupt state.

@dna