The rebuff has sent Union ministers and officials scurrying to save the situation, with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh himself likely to call her in a last-minute effort to bring her on board.
Mamata's decision, well-placed sources said, may not only cast a shadow on Singh's September 6-7 visit that was being billed as a “game-changer" in the subcontinent but has also brought into relief the UPA government's arrogance coupled with political mishandling, reminiscent of the ham-handed way in which it dealt with the Anna Hazare movement.
While some sections in the establishment view Mamata's sudden hard-line stance right on the eve of the long-in-the making visit as one more “temperamental outburst" and political grandstanding at the cost of a historic diplomatic breakthrough with Bangladesh, others lay the blame for the fresh crisis squarely at the Centre's door.
The Centre, they contend, took Bengal for granted even though the treaties being worked out with Bangladesh would have a profound impact on the state. While officials on both sides were working overtime to iron out nitty-gritty details on a range of agreements, there were not enough efforts at the political level to bring Mamata on board. Read the full report here.
Source: Manini Chatterjee, Telegraph, New Delhi.
