New Delhi, Jun 19 (PTI) A no objection was conveyed to the Australian deputy high commissioner based on principle of reciprocity for meeting officials of West Bengal government at an “appropriate” level, official sources said on Wednesday.
The clarification came after Trinamool Congress MP Sagarika Ghose accused the NDA government at the Centre of not allowing the Australian deputy high commissioner to meet top Bengal ministers in Kolkata.
The Australian deputy high commissioner was conveyed about the “principle of reciprocity” in meeting functionaries of the West Bengal government, said a source.
Explaining the principle of reciprocity, another source said the rank of a minister of a state government is much higher in protocol than that of the deputy chief of a foreign mission and this provision is followed in heeding to any request for meetings.
The source suggested that the deputy high commissioner is much junior to the ministers and that is why the meetings sought by the diplomat were not in sync with laid down norms.
Ghose targeted the Centre on the matter and said the manner in which the meetings were denied puts a question mark on the federal structure of the country.
“It is extremely shocking and autocratic to send out a recommendation through the Ministry of External Affairs,” she said.
“This is an assault on the federal structure,” Ghose alleged. PTI MPB ZMN ZMN
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