In anticipation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's inauguration of the Kolkata Metro project extensions, a dispute has arisen between the Trinamool Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) over who should receive credit for the project. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is expected to abstain from the event, asserting that the project was her initiative during her tenure as railway minister.

Banerjee claims that the blueprints for the metro extensions were created and approved while she was the railway minister. These extensions are significant as they will connect Kolkata's airport to the metro system for the first time in decades and link the vital Howrah and Sealdah railway stations.

The BJP, however, contends that the projects were stalled and only saw progress after the Narendra Modi government took office. They assert that the completion and subsequent credit belong to them.

Suvendu Adhikari, a BJP leader, responded to Mamata Banerjee's claims by labeling her post a "desperate attempt to steal credit for projects that languished under your watch". He went further by stating that her contribution was a "big fat zero".

Mamata Banerjee's decision to potentially skip the inauguration stems from several factors. One key reason is the alleged harassment of Bengali migrants in states governed by the BJP. Additionally, there are concerns that the BJP would exploit the event to humiliate her, as has supposedly occurred in the past. Trinamool sources cite a "vindictive economic blockade" by the Centre following the BJP's defeat in the 2021 Assembly polls and a perceived lack of recognition for Banerjee's contributions to the Metro project during her time as Union railway minister.

A state government official stated that the metro projects were originally planned and funded by Mamata Banerjee during her tenure as railway minister. The official alleges that the BJP is now rushing to inaugurate them before the upcoming elections to claim credit. The Chief Minister was only given a routine invitation via letter. Furthermore, there are concerns that BJP supporters have created chaos and acted disrespectfully at past government events, turning them into political platforms.

According to Trinamool sources, inadequate central recognition of her contribution to the Metro cause from her time as the Union railway minister of UPA II and the contentious special intensive revision (SIR) of the electoral roll are also causes for Banerjee's discontent.