Mamata Banerjee Arrives in Mumbai for Anant Ambani’s Wedding, Schedules Key Political Meetings

Mumbai, 12th July 2024: Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee arrived in Mumbai on Thursday for the wedding of industrialist Mukesh Ambani’s son, Anant Ambani. During her visit, Banerjee is scheduled to hold separate meetings with Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray and NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar on Friday. This will be Banerjee’s first meeting with Thackeray since the Lok Sabha election results were announced. She is also expected to meet with SP chief Akhilesh Yadav.

Before departing for Mumbai, Banerjee explained her visit, stating, “I am attending the wedding of Mukeshji’s son, which I was invited to multiple times. Mukeshji has also attended the Biswa Bangla Summit in Bengal on our invitation. Although I might not have attended otherwise, Mukeshji, his son, and Nitaji urged me to come. I’ve scheduled meetings with Uddhav Thackeray for political discussions, as we haven’t met since the elections, and with Sharad Pawar. Akhilesh Yadav is also arriving, and I might meet him too.”

Following the Lok Sabha results on June 4, Thackeray had discussed with Banerjee the INDIA bloc’s claim to form a government at the Centre. Thackeray had mentioned that Banerjee was supportive of this idea. Banerjee had previously visited Thackeray last year to tie a rakhi during an INDIA bloc meeting in Mumbai. Trinamool Congress General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee also met with Thackeray in June to discuss future strategies for the opposition bloc.

Banerjee also criticized the BJP, its IT cell, and certain media outlets for allegedly misrepresenting recent incidents in Bengal. She claimed that a viral video from a 2021 incident, involving former BJP MP Arjun Singh, was being used to discredit the state. She accused the BJP’s IT cell of continuously airing the footage to influence recent by-elections unfairly. Banerjee noted that the accused individuals were arrested and remain in custody. She also addressed another viral incident involving a death in Ranibandh, describing it as a personal matter unrelated to politics.

The Chief Minister urged caution in news reporting and suggested that if necessary, she might seek legal action to address these issues.