President Murmu unfair in criticising ‘protocol breach’ in Darjeeling |
President Droupadi Murmu, while addressing the 9th 9th International Santali Conference in Darjeeling on Saturday, 7 March 2026, described West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee as her “younger sister” and wondered if she was angry with her. “If the President visits a place, the chief minister and the ministers should also come. But she did not... I am also a daughter of Bengal. Mamata didi (sister) is like my younger sister. I do not know why she is angry with me but I wish her well,” the President said.
She was received and seen off by the mayor of Siliguri, the District Magistrate of Darjeeling and other state government officials. However, the public airing of her grievances about a ‘breach of protocol’ blew up into a full-scale political row. Starting with the Vice President, the prime minister and the home minister, several union ministers, BJP leaders and BJP’s IT cell were quick to condemn the West Bengal government and the chief minister. The breach of protocol, which requires the chief minister to nominate a minister or a state government’s representative to receive the President, was widely condemned by them as an ‘insult’ to the President, to tribals and to the Santhals in particular.
Mamata Banerjee in turn explained that she was informed of the presidential visit just two days before the event; she added that she had no idea about the private organisation which had invited the President. The chief........