In a clear bid to placate sulking Mamata Banerjee, Union home minister Sushilkumar Shinde on Wednesday announced in Kolkata that the Centre had set up a high-level inquiry into the attack on her and the state finance minister Amit Mitra by SFI activists in Delhi.
“I have instituted an inquiry into the incident. Special secretary, home, is probing the matter,” Mr Shinde added. He was speaking to the media on the sidelines of the 20th Eastern Zonal Council meeting which was held at the Town Hall.
Chief ministers of four states, West Bengal, Bihar, Orissa and Jharkhand, were supposed to attend the meeting. However, only Ms Banerjee was present. Since Jharkhand is under President’s rule, the state was represented by governor Syed Ahmed.
However, contrary to speculation, the chief ministers of Bihar and Orissa Nitish Kumar and Naveen Patnaik also gave it a miss. Mr Shinde, who presided over the meeting, did not forget to say a special thank you to Ms Banerjee for participating in the meeting. “I am grateful to Mamata didi that she came to the meeting though she is not keeping well,” he said.
Immediately after she returned from Delhi on last Wednesday, the chief minister was admitted to a private hospital. Although she was discharged on Saturday the doctors had advised her total rest.
Ms Banerjee has not been attending office at the Writers’ Buildings since then. On Wednesday, she attended an official function for the first time since her stormy visit to the Planning Commission last week.