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President Murmu calls Mamata younger sister, seeks reasons for venue shift of tribal meet in North Bengal

March 07, 2026 5 min read Polity & Governance Social Issues GS2
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What Happened

  • President Droupadi Murmu publicly expressed displeasure during her visit to Siliguri, West Bengal, to address the 9th International Santhal Adivasi Conference, after the venue was changed from a large field in Bidhannagar to Gosainpur, ostensibly for security and logistical reasons.
  • At the event, the President noted that many members of the Santhal community were left standing outside, unable to enter the conference site, and stated: "I noticed many of our Santhal brothers and sisters standing outside. I feel someone is stopping them from entering."
  • The President also questioned the absence of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and other senior state officials at the event, noting that established protocol requires the Chief Minister to receive and accompany the President during official state visits.
  • The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) subsequently sought a written explanation from the West Bengal government regarding what it described as "procedural lapses" during the Presidential visit.
  • Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee rejected the allegations, asserting there was no protocol lapse and accusing the BJP of politicising the issue ahead of the state assembly elections.
  • President Murmu, addressing the Santhal community, referred to Chief Minister Banerjee as her "younger sister" — a gesture signalling personal warmth while formally flagging the official concerns.

Static Topic Bridges

Constitutional Position of the President and Protocol Obligations

The President of India is the constitutional Head of State under Article 52. Although the President's powers are largely exercised on the advice of the Council of Ministers (Article 74), the office commands the highest constitutional protocol during state and official visits.

  • Article 52: There shall be a President of India.
  • Article 53: Executive power of the Union is vested in the President and shall be exercised either directly or through officers subordinate to the President.
  • Constitutional Precedence: The President of India holds the first position in the Warrant of Precedence, followed by the Vice-President, Prime Minister, Governors of states (within their own states), and then Chief Ministers.
  • Protocol for Presidential visits: When the President visits a state, the Governor (as the constitutional head of the state) and the Chief Minister (as head of government) are expected to receive and accompany the President. This is a long-established protocol derived from the hierarchical structure of the Constitution.
  • MHA oversight: The Ministry of Home Affairs manages security and protocol for Presidential visits through its Security Bureau; procedural lapses can attract MHA scrutiny.

Connection to this news: The absence of the Chief Minister and the venue change — affecting community members' access — are framed as failures of protocol owed to the constitutional office of President, not merely to its current incumbent.

Governors, Chief Ministers, and Centre-State Relations

The friction in this incident is not just about protocol — it reflects the broader tension between Union and State governments when they are governed by different political parties, a recurrent feature of Indian federalism.

  • Article 154: Executive power of the State is vested in the Governor; the Governor acts on the aid and advice of the Council of Ministers headed by the Chief Minister (Article 163).
  • When the President visits a state, the Union (through the President's Secretariat and MHA) coordinates with the state government — but the state government retains authority over local arrangements, security deployment, and venue decisions.
  • Centre-state disputes over protocol during Presidential visits have occurred periodically. Such incidents highlight the limited coercive mechanisms available to the Centre when a state declines to follow conventions.
  • Article 355: The Union shall protect every State against external aggression and internal disturbance, and shall ensure that the Government of every State is carried on in accordance with the provisions of this Constitution — this provision is sometimes invoked in Centre-state friction but is a rarely used last resort.
  • West Bengal has had multiple high-profile protocol disputes between the state government and Central authorities in recent years, reflecting the fraught political relationship between the Trinamool Congress-led state and the BJP-led Union government.

Connection to this news: The MHA's request for an explanation is a formal Centre-state accountability mechanism — using administrative correspondence to place the protocol failure on the official record.

Tribal Rights and the Santhal Community: Constitutional Provisions

President Murmu's visit was to a conference of the Santhal community — one of India's largest Scheduled Tribe populations. The President's identity as a member of the Santhal community herself gives the incident added symbolic weight.

  • Scheduled Tribes: Defined under Article 342 of the Constitution; the President is empowered (on the advice of the Governor) to specify which communities are Scheduled Tribes in each state and Union Territory.
  • Fifth Schedule (Article 244): Governs administration and control of Scheduled Areas in states other than Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura, and Mizoram. Provides for Tribes Advisory Councils.
  • Sixth Schedule: Governs tribal areas in Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura, and Mizoram through Autonomous District Councils.
  • Santhals are predominantly concentrated in the Santhal Parganas region (Jharkhand), West Bengal, Odisha, and Bihar. They are India's third-largest tribal group.
  • President Droupadi Murmu (elected 2022) is the first person from the tribal community to hold the office of President of India — her engagement with Santhal community events carries both constitutional and symbolic importance.
  • Pesa Act (Provisions of the Panchayats (Extension to Scheduled Areas) Act, 1996): Extends Panchayati Raj to Scheduled Areas with safeguards for tribal self-governance.

Connection to this news: The President's displeasure that Santhal community members were prevented from attending their own conference carries additional weight given her personal identity and her constitutional role as protector of tribal rights.

Key Facts & Data

  • Event: 9th International Santhal Adivasi Conference, Siliguri, West Bengal
  • Original venue: Bidhannagar field, Siliguri; shifted to Gosainpur
  • Constitutional position of President: First in Warrant of Precedence
  • Relevant articles: Art. 52 (President), Art. 53 (executive power), Art. 74 (Council of Ministers)
  • MHA action: Sought written explanation from West Bengal government for protocol lapses
  • President Droupadi Murmu: First tribal person to hold the office (elected July 2022)
  • Santhal population: One of India's three largest Scheduled Tribe groups
  • Article 342: Presidential power to specify Scheduled Tribes
  • Article 163: Chief Minister heads state Council of Ministers that aids the Governor
  • Fifth Schedule (Art. 244): Governs administration of tribal Scheduled Areas