New Delhi: In a dramatic turn of events, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee abruptly walked out of the Niti Aayog meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday.
Banerjee, the only Chief Minister from an opposition-ruled state to attend the meeting, accused the organizers of muting her microphone and restricting her speaking time to just five minutes.
Banerjee claimed that her microphone was silenced when she attempted to address the issue of West Bengal being denied central funds.
She contrasted her brief speaking time with that of other chief ministers, such as Chandrababu Naidu, who was allocated 20 minutes, and those from Assam, Goa, and Chhattisgarh, who spoke for 10 to 12 minutes.
“I was allowed to speak only for five minutes, while others spoke for much longer. When I raised the issue of central funds not being allocated to West Bengal, my mic was muted,” Banerjee said.
She expressed her frustration, describing the incident as an insult to Bengal and all regional parties, and accused the central government of bias in favor of NDA allies.
Banerjee questioned the fairness of the proceedings, stating, “I asked why I was stopped and why there is such discrimination. I attended this meeting representing the opposition to promote cooperative federalism.”
In response, government sources refuted her claims, asserting that Banerjee’s allotted speaking time had concluded and that her turn would have come after lunch.
“She was scheduled as the seventh speaker on the official request of the West Bengal government due to her need to leave early,” sources explained.
Moreover, Banerjee reiterated her demand for the abolition of the Niti Aayog and the reinstatement of the Planning Commission.
“The Niti Aayog lacks financial powers, making its function ineffective. Either grant it financial powers or bring back the Planning Commission,” she urged.
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar also chose to skip the Niti Aayog meeting. The state was represented by Deputy Chief Ministers Samrat Choudhary and Vijay Kumar Sinha.
The opposition states' absence was a protest against what they termed a “discriminatory” Union Budget, which they allege disproportionately favors Bihar and Andhra Pradesh, states governed by NDA allies JD(U) and TDP.