Explained: Why President Murmu questioned venue shift at Bengal tribal event

President Droupadi Murmu on Saturday expressed dissatisfaction over the low turnout at a tribal community event held near Bagdogra airport questioning the decision to shift the venue from Bidhannagar and also noted the absence of West Bengal Chief Minister CM Mamata Banerjee and her ministers during her visit news agency PTI reportedGenerally when the President is coming the CM should be welcoming and other ministers should be present But she did not come The governor has changed and could not come But because the date was fixed I have come But its okay I would like to thank you for coming here she told the gatheringHad the programme been held there at Bidhannagar it would have been better There is ample space there and many people could have attended But I do not know why the state administration did not permit the meeting there Todays programme is being held at such a place that it is difficult for people to come Perhaps the state government does not want the welfare of tribals and that is why they were prevented from coming here President Murmu saidWATCH Darjeeling West Bengal President Droupadi Murmu says Today was the International Santal Conference When I came here after attending it I realised it would have been better if it had been held here because the area is so vast I dont know what went through thehellip pictwittercomzMYyvDo0Y2mdash ANI ANI March 7 2026Murmu calls Mamata younger sister seeks reasons for venue shift of tribal meetMamata Banerjee is like my younger sister I am also a daughter of Bengal But I do not know why I was not allowed to come here I do not know whether she is upset and that is why the venue was shifted Anyway that does not matter All of you stay well the President saidHighlighting broader challenges in organising such events she further stated When I was coming here to this international conference I realised that someone was not willing for this event to take place It seems that some do not want the Santals to progress to learn and to unite to be strongPresident Murmu was invited to the annual programme originally scheduled at Bidhannagar in SiliguriHowever citing security and other logistical reasons authorities shifted the venue to Goshaipur near Bagdogra airport officials saidWhen the President arrived at the venue on Saturday afternoon only a handful of people were presentSiliguri Mayor Gautam Deb was the only state government representative present at the airport to receive herAccording to protocol the chief minister or a minister of the state government is usually present to receive the PresidentIn Kolkata Mamata Banerjee continued her sitin for the second day in a row against the alleged arbitrary deletion of names from the electoral rolls in West BengalShameful and unprecedented tweets PM ModiFollowing the comments the BJP criticised the West Bengal government alleging that the arrangements reflected disrespect towards both the President and the tribal community she was addressing Party leaders accused the state administration of neglecting the importance of the visit and demanded an explanation from the governmentIn response leaders of the TMC rejected the allegations and accused the opposition of trying to politicise the issue The party maintained that the arrangements were made according to administrative considerations and security requirements Some TMC leaders also argued that attempts were being made to turn a logistical matter into a political controversyPM Narendra Modi tweets This is shameful and unprecedented Everyone who believes in democracy and the empowerment of tribal communities is disheartened The pain and anguish expressed by Rashtrapati Ji who herself hails from a tribal community has caused immense sadness inhellip httpstcoo4RnIHJeuf pictwittercomqUnluizTcWmdash ANI ANI March 7 2026The dispute quickly escalated into a broader political confrontation between the ruling party in the state and the opposition at the national level The incident has also drawn attention because of the ongoing political rivalry between the BJP and TMC in West BengalAs political reactions continue the controversy highlights how even ceremonial or administrative issues during highlevel visits can quickly become part of the larger political narrative in a highly competitive political environmentWith PTI and ANI inputs