Apparently unhappy for not being given a chance to speak at the Prime Minister’s virtual meeting on Wednesday, chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday said she won’t join the meeting tomorrow while asking chief secretary to send the report to the Centre on the initiatives planned by the state government to commemorate 75 years of Independence.

“From national anthem to song all originated in Bengal. We have already discussed our plans at the state level at this meeting. I had thought of sharing it with the PM had I been given the chance to speak yesterday. Let the Centre go ahead with its own plans. I won’t be able to attend tomorrow’s meeting on the celebration of 150th birth anniversary of Rishi Aurobindo,” she said at Nabanna at a meeting to discuss preparations for 75 years of Independence.

She asked state chief secretary HK Dwivedi to send a report on the state government’s initiatives to the Centre. On Wednesday, Modi held a meeting of the national committee on ‘Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav’, in which other chief ministers were also present but Banerjee’s name was not in the list of speakers.

The Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav is an initiative of the Government of India to celebrate and commemorate 75 years of progressive India and the sacrifices made for independence. This is not the first time that Banerjee has not been given a chance to speak.

A similar incident took place in May this year, when the Prime Minister held a meeting with chief ministers to review the Covid situation and government machinery’s preparedness. At that time, Banerjee had said that she felt “insulted” and that instead of sending an official, she herself came for the meeting to urge the central government for vaccines.

Meanwhile taking a dig at the BJP-led Central government, Miss Banerjee said that history should never be distorted for any reason. Banerjee announced setting up a university in Mahatma Gandhi’s name in Tamluk. State government has taken up an elaborate plan to commemorate the 75 years of independence, she said.

Apart from holding special programmes on 26 January and 15 August, debates, essay and elocution competitions would be held at the colleges and universities during the period. Rishi Aurobindo’s A compilation would be done of all the songs and poems related to freedom movement.

State government has sent a tableau on Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose for display at the Republic Day parade in Delhi. Let’s see whether it is accepted or not, she said adding that the leader’s birthday would be celebrated by sounding siren at 12 pm on 23 January and all information related to him would be digitised. Banerjee announced that World Music Sammelan would be organised at Red Road in January 2022.