New Delhi: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who decided to attend the NITI Aayog Meeting despite Opposition's call for boycott, stormed out of the meet, alleging that she was not allowed to speak. Banerjee termed it an "insult to Bengal and other regional parties".The TMC Supremo accused the central government of "insulting" her by deliberately not providing enough time to talk and alleged that NDA members were given ample time to put the issues of their state on the table. She pointed out that she was the only Opposition member at the meet and was still not allowed to speak. A furious Mamata told reporters, "...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..."
This is the ninth meeting of the council which is the apex public policy think tank of the central government. The NITI Aayog includes the Prime Minister Narendra Modi as Chairman and Chief Ministers of all the states, Lieutenant Governors (LG) of several Union Territories and several union ministers as its members. Why Opposition Called For BoycottSeveral Opposition Chief Ministers, including Tamil Nadu CM MK Stalin, Kerala Chief Minister and CPI (M) leader Pinarayi Vijayan, Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann and all three Congress chief ministers-- Karnataka's Siddaramaiah, Himachal Pradesh’s Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu and Telangana’s Revanth Reddy, announced to boycott the key meeting of the NITI Aayog.Opposition leaders criticised the Centre for a biased Budget that allegedly favoured the NDA’s Bihar and Andhra Pradesh allies. Stalin said that the Budget presented by the finance minister seemed like a ‘vengeful act’ against the states and people who boycotted the BJP, accusing the government of continuously disregarding Tamil Nadu.On NITI Aayog meeting, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut says, "CMs of INDIA alliance will not go to NITI Aayog meeting. It is almost decided. Tamil Nadu CM MK Stalin had earlier said he would not go, Arvind Kejriwal is in jail, Telangana CM and there are other CMs who do not want to go because NITI Aayog is not keeping pace with the country's development, you must have seen this in the budget and NITI Aayog's work..."Mamata Banerjee, however, chose to attend the meeting, intending to use the opportunity to protest against what she termed a “discriminatory budget” and the “conspiracy to divide West Bengal and other opposition-ruled states”.#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