Mamata Banerjee meets PM Narendra Modi, urges him to write off Bengal's debt

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday met Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the national capital during which she took up the issues of pending projects in her state.

Speaking to reporters after meeting the PM, Mamata said, ''We have been demanding Centre's support on changing Bengal's name. I have reminded the PM about it. My MPs had met him.''

''I have requested the Prime Minister to attend the programme for world's second-largest coal block Deocha Pachami in Birbhum district after Navratri puja. The project is worth Rs 12,000 crores,'' the West Bengal CM said.

The Trinamool Congress chief said that she has given papers on what her government has done in recent years in Bengal.

''We have asked him to write off Bengal's debt. I will try to meet the Home Minister too,'' Mamata said.

She categorically said that it was a meeting between two governments and not much should be read into it politically.

The firebrand TMC leader also refused to answer questions related to CBI's ongoing probe into the Saradha chit fund scam.

Interestingly, Banerjee had got Kolkata-made sweets delivered to PM Modi's 7, Lok Kalyan Marg residence, a day before their meeting.

Her meeting with the PM comes at a time when the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is trying to locate her close aide and former Kolkata Police Commissioner Rajeev Kumar for questioning in connection with the multi-crore Saradha chit fund scam case.

Mamata's meeting with the PM has triggered intense speculations in the political circles and the Bengal unit chief of the Congress party, Somen Mitra, has accused the West Bengal CM of making a desperate bid to ensure an "escape route" for Kumar, who is currently untraceable.