New Delhi, Mar 8 (PTI) The Akhil Bharatiya Vanvasi Kalyan Ashram on Sunday condemned the “behaviour” of the West Bengal government during President Droupadi Murmu’s visit to the state, alleging it was “disrespectful” to the tribal community and the Santhali language as well.
The RSS-affiliate also criticised the state government and the local administration over what it described as negligence in security arrangements for the President, the absence of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and any senior minister as required by protocol, and an alleged lack of cooperation during her visit to Siliguri on March 7.
“The behaviour of the state government during the International Santhal Conference held in Darjeeling (Siliguri) in the presence of the President was highly condemnable and disrespectful,” Vanvasi Kalyan Ashram national president Satyendra Singh said in a statement.
He said a large number of Santhal community members, other tribal groups, and members of civil society had arrived to attend the conference not only from India, but also from neighbouring countries such as Bangladesh, Nepal and Bhutan.
Singh added that the administration made “unwarranted attempts” to reduce the number of attendees and created several difficulties for the delegates.
“The venue of the conference was suddenly changed two days earlier to a much smaller location, despite the scale of the event and the presence of the President,” he said.
“This is not only an insult to the highest constitutional office of the President of India, but also to the entire tribal community of the country and the Santhali language,” he said.
“At a time when the nation is celebrating Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav, when will we learn to keep the President and other high constitutional offices above petty politics?” he asked. PTI ADI MNK MNK
This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.