BENGAL PROTOCOL ROW: PRESIDENT ABOVE FRAY

IN a rare public rebuke—possibly her first since becoming President of India—Droupadi Murmu criticised West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for shifting the venue of the Ninth International Santal Conference in Darjeeling to a remote location with poor access.

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Two days before the event, the local administration had flagged lax preparations at the new site, apparently in an attempt to persuade the President to cancel the trip. Yet she chose to go ahead, saying “the date was fixed”. The episode was striking also because Murmu herself belongs to the Santal community and comes from a humble background. Administrative lapses were visible along the conference route as well, with litter left uncleared despite it being standard practice before VIP visits.With state Assembly elections approaching, the episode had the potential to acquire political overtones, particularly among sections of tribal voters, putting the ruling Trinamool Congress on guard. The political sen