New Delhi, Sept 12: Trinamool Congress chief and Union Minister Mamata Banerjee today met Deputy Prime Minister L K Advani here but said she did not raise the issue of portfolio as she was "happy" as it is. "I have not spoken about it (portfolio) I am happy with the things as they are," she told reporters after a 30-minute meeting with Advani, which she described as a "courtesy call". She parried all questions relating to her portfolio.

Banerjee said she would call on Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, apart from Vice President Bhairon Singh Shekhawat and Lok Sabha speaker Manohar Joshi. Stating that Shekhawat and Joshi were out of station today, she indicated that the meeting with Vajpayee could take place on Sunday.
Asked why she did not attend the meeting of the Union Cabinet yesterday, Banerjee said a Trinamool Congress youth wing leader was "brutally murdered by CPM" on the day she took oath. "I had to rush to the site and returned late", she said.
She said she had raised the issue, along with other cases of "political violence" in West Bengal, at her meeting with Advani. "He took the matter seriously and was very concerned. He will take appropriate action". The Trinamool Congress chief said her party had been keeping the Centre informed about the law and order situation in the state, which was also suffering "economic bankruptcy and had a foreign debt of over Rs one lakh crore".

Bureau Report