Chinese 'snub' to Mamata takes MEA by surprise

The West Bengal chief minister cancels her Chinese trip on Friday

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and Union External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and Union External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj expressed concern over Chinese Communist Party's refusal to grant appointment to West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee who cancelled her visit to the neighbouring country in the eleventh hour on Friday.

Banerjee talked over phone to Swaraj, who is currently in Mangolia, a neighbour of China, where she was attending a bilateral-level talk. 

A senior politician of the ruling Trinamool Congress in West Bengal said, "The chief minister has spoken to foreign minister Sushma Swaraj, who was found surprised by the erratic behaviour of the Chinese Communist Party (CPC). The foreign minister assured the chief minister that after coming back to India she would take up the matter with the Chinese authorities."

State Finance Minister Amit Mitra also confirmed that the chief minister spoke to Swaraj.

"Yes, the Union foreign minister was informed and she is in Mangolia. She was not in a position to talk much because she was attending an important meeting there," said Mitra in Kolkata.

Despite the repeated attempts by the Indian embassy in China, CPC did not confirm the meeting with the chief minister, who was to lead an Indian delegation to China. Her meetings with business tycoons in China were to be at the sidelines of the political exchange between the two sides. A team of the ministry of external affairs was also supposed to accompany Banerjee to Beijing.

Banerjee said she decided to go to China only after Swaraj asked her to lead the delegation of Indian officials for a political dialogue. It was not clear why Swaraj chose Banerjee, who had recently blamed the neighbouring country for the unrest in Darjeeling.

Mitra called it a kind of possible insult.

"Well, we have self-respect and we could not visit a country without getting confirmation of appointments and schedules," said the minister.

While the Chinese embassy remained mum till late evening, West Bengal government sources said that Banerjee would not represent any Indian delegation to China in the near future. So chances are low for the chief minister visiting China even if she gets a fresh invitation.

One of her ministers has even demanded that the Chinese consular general be summoned by the chief secretary of the state. But the majority of the ministers in Banerjee's cabinet wanted to wait and see what the central government would do on this.

"We would like to see action from the prime minister and foreign minister in this regard. The Chinese embassy should be answerable to the government of India and the head of a federal government of India," said a state minister.

Banerjee on Friday tweeted, "Till yesterday, everything was going on well, but unfortunately, the Chinese side could not confirm the political meetings at appropriate level as informed by our Ambassador in China."

But in a later tweet, she said, "However, I wish the continuation of the friendship of India and China in the days to come and it should strengthen further in the interest of both the countries."

Sources have confirmed that Swaraj will take up the matter with Prime Minister Narendra Modi once she is back from Mangolia.