Amit Shah, Mamata Banerjee dine together with host Naveen Patnaik after EZC meeting
Bhubaneshwar/IBNS: Even as they do not share a healthy relationship in public, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Friday met as a part of a courtesy call and dinned together along with Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik and his Bihar counterpart Nitish Kumar.
Banerjee and Shah are visiting Bhubaneswar to attend a meeting of the Eastern Zonal Council (EZC), a forum of eastern states.
Odisha CM and his Bihar counterpart were also present at the meeting.
Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren could not make it to the meeting.
The meeting was chaired by Amit Shah.
As the two leaders are often witnessed criticising each other at every possible opportunity in public rallies, it was a rare sight to see the Home Minister and Bengal CM having an interactive time over the dinner table.
Tweeting an image of their dinner, Patnaik wrote: "Such a pleasure having the company of Union Home Minister @AmitShah ji, my colleague CMs, @MamataOfficial, @NitishKumar ji & Union Minister @dpradhanbjp ji at Naveen Niwas. Had a wonderfully interactive time over some home cooked #Odia delicacies."
Such a pleasure having the company of Union Home Minister @AmitShah ji, my colleague CMs, @MamataOfficial, @NitishKumar ji & Union Minister @dpradhanbjp ji at Naveen Niwas. Had a wonderfully interactive time over some home cooked #Odia delicacies. pic.twitter.com/tmhfsJnDq2
— Naveen Patnaik (@Naveen_Odisha) February 28, 2020
Following the meeting, Shah had also attended a rally in Odisha where he once again reassured the nation that the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) does not intend to scrap the citizenship of any person.
"CAA is a law to give citizenship. It is not meant to take anyone's citizenship away," Shah said while addressing a rally in Bhubaneswar
Attacking the opposition parties over the CAA issue, he said they are trying to misguide people.
"The opposition parties are instigating people over the CAA issue," Shah said.
मैं देश की जनता से कहना चाहता हूं कि ये विपकà¥à¤· के लोग CAA को लेकर à¤à¥à¤°à¤¾à¤‚ति फैला रहे हैं, लोगों को उकसा रहे हैं, दंगे करा रहे हैं।
— BJP (@BJP4India) February 28, 2020
Minorities को मैं आशà¥à¤µà¤¸à¥à¤¤ करता हूं कि किसी की à¤à¥€ नागरिकता नहीं जाने वाली बलà¥à¤•à¤¿ जो पà¥à¤°à¤¤à¤¾à¤¡à¤¼à¤¿à¤¤ हà¥à¤ हैं, उनà¥à¤¹à¥‡à¤‚ नागरिकता दी जानी है: शà¥à¤°à¥€ @AmitShah pic.twitter.com/Io126otEGh
Delhi is currently witnessing violence over the new citizenship law which was passed by the Centre last year.
The violence in Delhi has claimed over 30 lives so far.
(Image Credit: Naveen Patnaik Twitter Page)
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