03/08/2026March 8, 2026Indian president clashes with state minister ahead of key race in West Bengal

Indian President Droupadi Murmu is locked in a rare political row with the chief minister of the eastern state of West Bengal ahead of state elections that could see Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ruling party extend its influence in the region. 

The dispute began when Murmu visited the state to attend the International Santal Conference. The Santal are India’s third-largest tribal community, according to the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes Research and Training Institute. Murmu is the first president in India from the tribe, which is officially recognized as a disadvantaged group.

In her speech at the conference, Murmu said, “I think someone was stopping them (Santal people) from coming here. On my way here, from what I saw, is this a gathering for the International Santal Conference? I don’t think so. Someone does not want the Santal community to unite,” implying the state’s chief minister without naming her. 

But politicians from the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party were more direct. They alleged a lack of basic facilities and a last-minute venue change, according to local media. 

Referring to West Bengal’s ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC), Modi said, “The TMC Government of West Bengal has truly crossed all limits. Their administration is responsible for this insult to the President.” 

Murmu’s comments mark a rare public rebuke from India’s president toward an elected government. In India, the president, a ceremonial constitutional head, is expected to remain above internal politics. 

BJP politicians argued that the seriousness of the humiliation forced the president to speak out.

Meanwhile, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said that the lapse was on part of the International Santal Council which organized the event, not the district administration. “BJP is disrespecting and misusing the highest chair in the country for its own party agenda. Most unfortunate,” she wrote in a social media post on X. 

West Bengal is due for state elections in April-May and remains one of the few states where Modi’s BJP has not secured a victory. With the upcoming polls, politics in West Bengal is only likely to get more heated.Â