Mamata should resign over protocol breach at President Murmu’s Darjeeling event: BJP

BJP demands Mamata Banerjee's resignation over protocol breach during President Murmu's visit, escalating political tensions in West Bengal.

The controversy over breach of protocol and change in the venue of an event during President Droupadi Murmu’s visit to Darjeeling on Saturday (March 7, 2026), continued to rage in West Bengal’s political circles on Sunday (March 8, 2026), with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leadership demanding the resignation of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee over the developments.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who had described it as “shameful and unprecedented” on Saturday, on Sunday said that the Trinamool Congress (TMC) had not only boycotted an important event of the tribal community but also boycotted the President of India.

“The President comes from the Adivasi community. She is concerned about the development of the Adivasi Santhal community. The Trinamool Congress has subjected the event to mismanagement. This is not only an insult to the President, but also an insult to the spirit of the Constitution as well as the rich traditions of democracy in our country,” Mr. Modi said while participating in an event at the national capital.

The insult to President Murmu was an insult to tribals of the State, BJP MPs from West Bengal representing Scheduled Tribe (ST) communities said. “The Chief Minister should resign immediately. Seeking an apology will not work. In the interest of the tribal community, she must resign,” Khagen Murmu, BJP MP from the Malda Uttar Lok Sabha constituency said during a press conference in Kolkata.

President Droupadi Murmu had on Saturday (March 7, 2026) expressed her anguish against the West Bengal government for changing the venue of the International Santhal Conference in Darjeeling district, and not adhering to the desired protocol to receive her at the event. Neither the State’s Governor nor the Chief Minister nor any West Bengal Minister had been present to receive the President in Darjeeling on Saturday (March 7, 2026).

Responding to the charges made against her, Ms. Banerjee on Sunday (March 8, 2026) asserted there had been no breach of protocol at Ms. Murmu’s even on Saturday (March 7, 2026). The responsibility for mismanagement at the function, if any, lay with its private organisers and the Airports Authority of India, which had provided the venue, the CM said.