Modi arrived in Rome on his five-day Europe visit, which includes the G-20 meet in Rome as well as a meeting with the Pope in Vatican city. Modi is also scheduled to meet heads of several European nations; the trip also includes a visit to the UK.
Panaji (Goa) [India] : On a day when Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Rome to attend the G-20 summit ahead of his visit to the Vatican, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee slammed the BJP-led Centre for not allowing her to visit the Vatican and meet Pope Francis last month.
“Ask BJP people why they did not allow me to go to Rome, Vatican? Why not? That day Congress did not say it was wrong. (It was) for an international peace conference,” Banerjee said at a party function near Panaji.
“The Pope was there, the other important three four personalities were there and from Asia I was the only one to be invited. But the Central government did not give me the permission to go. The Italian government gave me special permission, but they (Indian government) did not give me permission,” she also said, recalling the Central government’s rejection of her permission for the global peace meet in Rome, where the Pope was in attendance.
Modi arrived in Rome on his five-day Europe visit, which includes the G-20 meet in Rome as well as a meeting with the Pope in Vatican city. Modi is also scheduled to meet heads of several European nations; the trip also includes a visit to the UK.
I am here to help : Mamata
Panaji (Goa) [India] : Ahead of the 2022 assembly elections, West Bengal Chief Minister and All India Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee in Goa on Friday said that she is not there for power but to help the people of the state.
“I am just like your sister, I didn’t come here to capture your power. It touches my heart if we can help people when they face trouble, ” said Mamata Banerjee While addressing TMC party leaders in Panaji, Banerjee said, “Bengal is a very strong state. We want to see Goa as a strong state in the future. We want to see the new dawn of Goa. Somebody’s questioning ‘Mamata is in Bengal, how will she do it in Goa?’ Why not? I’m Indian, I can go anywhere. You can go anywhere.”
“I believe in secularism. I believe in unity. I believe India is our motherland. If Bengal is my motherland, then Goa is also my motherland,” she added.
Later, Tennis player Leander Paes joined the Trinamool Congress (TMC) in Goa in the presence of the West Bengal Chief Minister.
Earlier in the day, actor Nafisa Ali, and Mrinalini Deshprabhu also joined the TMC.
Goa Assembly has a strength of 40 members out of which BJP currently has 17 legislators and enjoys the support of legislators from Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP), Vijay Sardesai of the Goa Forward Party (GFP) and three independents. GFP and MGP each have three MLAs.
Congress, on the other hand, has 15 MLAs in the house.
