Mamata Banerjee leaves for Delhi; likely to meet President, PM Narendra Modi, top Opposition leaders amid snooping row

Kolkata: West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee left for Delhi on Monday amid the increasing opposition attack on the Narendra Modi government over the Pegasus snooping scandal. During her stay in Delhi, the TMC leader will meet President Ram Nath Kovind, PM Narendra Modi, and top leaders of Opposition parties in the national capital.

She is likely to stay in the national capital for 2-3 days, sources said. She might give a call to the opposition parties to unite against the Modi government and escalate the attack over Pegasus snopoing allegations. The firebrand Bengal leader is already trying hard to raise a powerful ''anti-BJP, anti-Modi front'' against the NDA dispensation at the Centre. 

West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee reaches Kolkata airport to board a flight to Delhi

She will meet President Ram Nath Kovind, PM Narendra Modi, and leaders of Opposition parties in the national capital during her stay that, as she said last week, could last for 2-3 days pic.twitter.com/EsNoYge5G7 — ANI (@ANI) July 26, 2021

Last week, Banerjee had said that she will meet President Ram Nath Kovind, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and leaders of Opposition parties during her stay in the national capital for 2-3 days. 

Briefing media persons, West Bengal Chief Minister had said, "I will go to Delhi during the Parliament session and meet some leaders there. I will meet the President and the Prime Minister if given an appointment."

This will be the first Delhi visit of Banerjee after her victory in the Bengal Assembly elections earlier this year.

Banerjee`s visit during the Parliament`s Monsoon session holds significance as the Opposition is cornering the BJP-led NDA government on a range of issues including price rise, increasing cost of diesel and petrol, and issues related to tackling the COVID-19 pandemic.

There is also a standoff between the Centre and Opposition parties over several key issues including the alleged Pegasus snooping controversy and scrapping of farm laws. 

Earlier today, Mamata Banerjee-led government has formed a two-member inquiry commission to look into allegations of snooping on politicians, officials and journalists using Israeli spyware Pegasus.

The decision to form a panel, with retired judges as its members, was taken at a special cabinet meeting chaired by the Chief Minister during the day.

"We thought the Centre would form an inquiry commission or a court-monitored probe would be ordered to look into this phone-hacking incident. But the Centre is sitting idle... So we decided to form a ‘commission on inquiry' to look into the matter," she said at a press conference here.

The two-member commission will be headed by former Calcutta High court Chief Justice Jyotirmay Bhattacharya. Former Supreme Court judge Madan Bhimrao Lokur is its other member.