An irate West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee walked out of the ongoing NITI Aayog meeting in New Delhi on Sunday, accusing that her microphone was deliberately switched off while she was speaking. Banerjee said that while her counterparts from the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) ruled states were given ample time to put their points forward, she was stopped from speaking about the allocation of funds for Bengal after just five minutes.
“I was speaking, my mic was stopped. I said why did you stop me, why are you discriminating. I am attending the meeting you should be happy instead of that you are giving more scope to your party your government. Only I am there from the opposition and you are stopping me from speaking…This is not only the insult of Bengal but also of all regional parties,” the Trinamool Congress (TMC) supremo told reporters after she came out of the meeting.
#WATCH | Delhi: West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee says, “…I was speaking, my mic was stopped. I said why did you stop me, why are you discriminating. I am attending the meeting you should be happy instead of that you are giving more scope to your party your government. Only I am… pic.twitter.com/53U8vuPDpZ
— ANI (@ANI) July 27, 2024
The West Bengal CM also slammed the Union Budget for 2024-25, calling it biased. “I have come out boycotting the meeting. (Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister) Chandrababu Naidu was given 20 minutes to speak. The chief ministers of Assam, Goa, and Chhattisgarh spoke for 10-12 minutes. I was stopped from speaking after just five minutes. This is unfair,” she said.
Banerjee was the only Chief Minister from the Opposition’s INDIA bloc to attend the meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
“I attended the meeting because cooperative federalism should be strengthened.Even the budget…. This is political, biased Budget. I said, why are you discriminating against other states? NITI Aayog has no financial powers, how will it work? Give it financial powers or bring the Planning Commission back,” the TMC leader added.
