NEW DELHI: If the first Mamata Banerjee-Narendra Modi meeting on Monday, marked the beginning of a thaw in relations between the West Bengal chief minister and the Centre, Tuesday saw a follow-up from both ends.

While the West Bengal chief minister is keen to get central help for development of the state, with assembly elections coming up next year, the Modi government at the Centre also needs the support of TMC to pass crucial bills in Rajya Sabha, where the government does not have the majority number.

If power minister Piyush Goyal drove up to meet Banerjee for a meeting at the South Avenue bungalow here where she has put up on Tuesday, state’s finance and industry minister Amit Mitra met environment minister Prakash Javadekar with a delegation from the state to iron out issues of environmental clearances for projects in the state.

There are a string of meetings lined for next week, with railway minister Suresh Prabhu , urban development minister M Venkaiah Naidu coming up next week, where TMC MPs will discuss details of issues with the respective ministers, following Banerjee having brought up the concerns at her meeting with the Prime Minister as well as with Naidu, on Monday. PM Modi had told the Bengal CM during their meeting that the follow up on state’s issues could be done by the MPs, so that it is not left to Banerjee having to travel each time from Kolkata to take them up with the Centre.

Goyal’s meeting with Banerjee is significant in the light of passing the coal mining bill in Parliament, the ordinance for which lapses later this month. West Bengal being a concerned state as it will receive royalty from the auction of coal mines situated in state, has decided not to oppose the bill, it is learnt.

While the opposition parties in Rajya Sabha, of which TMC is a part, have moved together against the government so far, Banerjee has decided to take a “case-to-case” approach on the six pending bills that have to be passed to ensure legislation is in place after the ordinances on them lapses. This marks a slight change in TMC’s blanket opposition to all the government’s moves that Banerjee has been so far taking. TMC wants to be a constructive opposition and not

an obstructive opposition, said a party MP echoing Banerjee’s mood, on Tuesday.

“We want to be realistic, and go for anything that benefits the people of our state and of the country, but we will oppose any move, like the land bill, that is against the interests of the people,” said another party MP on the stand taken by the CM and party chief.

