'Am I their bonded labour?' Mamata Banerjee fumes over Netaji event invite

She further said that this is the first time the PM of Bangladesh came to India and did not come to Bengal despite her 'desire to meet me'

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday slammed the BJP over an "improper" invite for the inauguration of a statue of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose in Delhi on September 8.

"I feel bad they're now making a Netaji statue in Delhi. What about the statue present before? I received letter from an under secretary stating PM will inaugurate the statue today and you must be there before the event commences. Am I their bonded labour?" asked Mamata.

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Banerjee also said she was curious over why the BJP-led central government was “worried” about her meeting Hasina.

"I share an excellent relationship with Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina, but they (the Centre) did not invite me to be a part of her visit," she said while addressing a special session of the Trinamool Congress.

"I don't want to talk about external affairs or bilateral ties. But, I have noticed that the Centre tries to stop me whenever I am invited to any foreign country. I want to know why is the Union government so worried about me meeting foreign dignitaries," Banerjee said.

Hasina arrived in New Delhi on Monday on a four-day tour to expand overall ties between the two countries.

(With PTI inputs)