Kolkata: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee made a fervent appeal to President Droupadi Murmu to protect the Constitution of the country and save it from a disaster. At a civic reception hosted in honour of the President here, Mamata Banerjee lauded Droupadi Murmu as a ‘Golden lady’ and said the country has a proud heritage of people from various communities, castes and creeds living in harmony for ages.
“Madam President, you are the constitutional head of this country. I would request you to protect the Constitution and the constitutional rights of the poor people of this country. We would request you to save it from a disaster,” Banerjee said at the civic reception. Banerjee also took a swipe at the West Bengal unit of the BJP, who boycotted the programme. “The President is above any politcal ideologies or theories. So the BJP has committed a mistake by boycotting the programme held in honour of President Murmu,” Banerjee stated.
On the occasion Banerjee also presented Murmu with an idol of Godess Durga.
Murmu who arrived here Monday for a two-day visit to West Bengal thanked Mamata for honouring her. “Thank You will be too small a word to describe my feelings,” Murmu said. She added that coming to West Bengal made her feel at home and said that whenever she hears people talking in Bengali her memories go back to the village where she grew up.
Earlier in day, Murmu visited Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore’s ancestral house, Jorasanko Thakurbari in north Kolkata. She said she was deeply touched after visiting the place.
Murmu went around rooms where Tagore was born, where he breathed his last and where he spent most of his time. She expressed awe over the preservation of the centuries-old structure, Registrar Subir Moitra of Rabindra Bharati University, which is housed on the premises, said. The President also went to Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose’s ancestral house in the city and paid homage to the freedom fighter. RBU authorities gave her four publications of Tagore and a photograph of his.
Murmu, who was accompanied by West Bengal Governor CV Ananda Bose, was greeted at the Jorasanko Thakurbari by state ministers Bratya Basu and Sashi Panja.
Later, Murmu wrote in the visitor’s log book: “It is indeed a memorable experience for me to have visited the Jorasanko Thakurbari, the famous abode of the illustrious Tagore family of which Kavi Guru became a global icon. The visit has enlightened me about the multi-faceted contributions made by the stalwarts of the great family. Walking through the house which has been converted into a museum, I got a glimpse of how members of the Tagore family enriched India’s traditions and helped its reawakening.”
Murmu also appreciated ‘the preservation and maintenance of this great national heritage, including the personal effects of the family by Rabindra Bharati University.