The massive face-off between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee over President Droupadi Murmu’s recent visit to the state intensified on Monday with the Trinamool
Congress (TMC) attacking the Prime Minister by sharing a two-year-old photograph.
Targeting PM Modi, TMC shared a video showing two Trinamool leaders holding a photograph featuring President Murmu, Prime Minister Modi, and BJP veteran Lal Krishna Advani from 2024.
The photograph, dated March 31, 2024, features President Murmu and Prime Minister Modi meeting Advani and honouring him with the Bharat Ratna. The picture shows President Murmu standing, while PM Modi can be seen sitting in his chair.
“The Prime Minister keeps making grand claims about respecting the President’s office. Let us take a good look at this photo. The country’s first tribal woman President stands while the Prime Minister sits comfortably in his chair. All proclamations of respect for the President ring hollow when visual evidence reveals such casual disregard for her office,” the Trinamool wrote on X, sharing a short video of Banerjee’s remarks at a public rally.
The Prime Minister keeps making grand claims about respecting the President’s office.
Let us take a good look at this photo. The country’s first tribal woman President stands while the Prime Minister sits comfortably in his chair.
All proclamations of respect for the… pic.twitter.com/LUzw5wW4dW
— All India Trinamool Congress (@AITCofficial) March 8, 2026
Attacking PM Modi, the Bengal Chief Minister said, “Honourable Prime Minister, this is for you. Do you respect the President, a woman and a tribal leader? Then why is the President standing and you are sitting?”
“I have shown you all, we respect (the President), but they don’t. This photograph proves who respects and who does not,” she added.
“I have responded to your tweet that we did not organise the event (which the President attended). A private organisation organised it, and the state government said the organisation did not have the capability to organise a programme for the President. They did not involve us. It is the honourable President’s choice that they accepted the invitation. It is their prerogative, not hours,” Banerjee said.
What Is The Controversy?
A massive controversy erupted after President Murmu visited Bengal on Saturday for the ninth International Santal Conference in Darjeeling. Addressing the event, the President expressed her disappointment over Chief Minister Banerjee or any other Bengal minister not receiving her at Bagdogra airport near Siliguri.
“Generally, when the President is coming, the Chief Minister should be welcoming, and other ministers should be present. But she did not come. The Governor has changed and could not come. But because the date was fixed, I have come,” she said.
The President said Banerjee is like her “younger sister”. “I am also a daughter of Bengal. I do not know whether she is upset,” she said.
The row erupted after the central government accused the Mamata Banerjee-led government of protocol violations and a lack of respect shown to President Droupadi Murmu.
Prime Minister Modi also slammed the TMC government and said that the people of the state will not forgive the TMC government over the alleged insult to President Murmu.
Mamata Denies Protocol Breach
Soon, Banerjee denied the breach of protocol allegations, stating that the responsibility for any mismanagement lies elsewhere, and questioned the event organised by a private body. She stated that the state government was not responsible for holding the event.
“It was a programme of a private organisation. If they could not organise it properly for you, that is their problem,” Banerjee had said.
