New Delhi: Indicating that she would skip the meeting of presidents of all political parties convened by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi on Wednesday, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday wrote to the Centre saying it should not go about "hurriedly" on a "sensitive and serious subject" like "one country and one election". She has further demanded that a white paper be circulated among all parties giving them "adequate time" to give their views on "one country and one election".
The Trinamool supremo's decision to stay away from Wednesday's meeting comes against the backdrop of the heightened tussle between her party and the BJP in West Bengal. She had also skipped a NITI Aayog meeting here last Saturday, nor did she attend the swearing-in ceremony of PM Modi for a second term on May 30. In a letter to Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Prahlad Joshi, Mamata said the idea of simultaneous polls requires consultations with experts. "A proper response on such a sensitive and serious subject like ''one country, one election'' in such a short time would not do justice to the subject.
The matter requires consultations with constitutional experts, election experts and above all, party members. "Instead of doing the matter hurriedly, I would request you to kindly circulate a white paper on the subject to all political parties, inviting their views by providing adequate time. If you only do so, we will be able to give concrete suggestions on this important subject," she wrote.
