3 min readBhubaneswarMar 12, 2026 07:10 AM IST
Expressing concern over a ‘breach of protocol’ during President Droupadi Murmu’s recent visit to West Bengal, Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi said Wednesday that it had “caused deep pain to many across the country.”
The Odisha chief minister, in a letter to his Bengal counterpart Mamata Banerjee, urged her to convey her “regret” to the President over the incident.
“The manner in which the Hon’ble President — herself a respected tribal woman — was treated in West Bengal has caused deep pain to many across the country,” noted Majhi, also a tribal leader belonging to the Santal community.
It further said: “This incident (disrespect to the President) has not only hurt the sentiments of millions of Adivasis, backward classes and Dalits across the country, but has also cast an avoidable shadow on the image of West Bengal, a land known for its culture, civility and respect for democratic institutions.”
Murmu, who visited West Bengal on Saturday to attend the 9th International Santal Conference, pointed out that neither the chief minister of Bengal nor other ministers were there to receive her.
The President, while speaking at the programme, also alleged that the venue for the conference was shifted by the administration, and that many Santals were allegedly stopped from attending the event.
Stating that the Santal community is a large community that lives across many parts of India and contributes significantly to the development of the nation, Majhi said that, being a member of the community himself, he felt extremely distressed over the incident.
Story continues below this ad
The Odisha CM said India’s democratic traditions are built on mutual respect and dignity, where differences of opinion never become differences of heart.
Coming just before International Women’s Day, the episode is particularly disturbing. “The absence of basic courtesies during the visit of the President, including changes in arrangements related to an event involving members of the tribal community, has been widely perceived as unfortunate and inconsistent with our constitutional values,” said Majhi.
Majhi’s letter to his Bengal counterpart came a day after he addressed a ‘Parivartan Yatra’ in the Moyna Assembly constituency in East Medinipur, where he targeted the TMC government over issues such as corruption and lawlessness in the state.
