Under the chairmanship of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the 9th meeting of the NITI Aayog's Governing Council is underway. Mamata Banerjee, who attended the meeting, stormed out leveling serious allegations. She claimed she wasn't given a chance to speak and was stopped within five minutes. However, government sources say that Mamata Banerjee's claim about the microphone being turned off is incorrect.
After walking out from the meeting at the Cultural Centre of Rashtrapati Bhavan, Mamata Banerjee stated, "I have boycotted the meeting. Chandrababu Naidu was given 20 minutes to speak, the Chief Ministers of Assam, Goa, and Chhattisgarh spoke for 10-12 minutes each. I was stopped within just five minutes. This is wrong. From the opposition, I am the only representative here, and I am participating in this meeting because I am keen on strengthening cooperative federalism...The NITI Aayog lacks financial powers, how will it function? Either empower it financially or bring back the Planning Commission. I registered my protest and walked out."
I was insulted - Mamata
Mamata Banerjee said, 'I suggested bringing back the Planning Commission, I asked for funds for Bengal and demanded no discrimination. I mentioned that while running the central government, you need to think of all states. I was talking about the central fund not being provided to West Bengal, and that's when they muted my microphone. I said that I alone am representing the opposition in this meeting, you should be pleased, yet you are prioritizing your party and government. This is not only an insult to Bengal, but also to all regional parties. This is also an insult to me.'
Claim about microphone being turned off is incorrect
Government sources said, "The claim about West Bengal Chief Minister's microphone being turned off during the NITI Aayog meeting is incorrect. The clock simply indicated that her speaking time was over. Even the bell wasn't rung. Alphabetically, her turn came after lunch. She was included as the 7th speaker upon the official request of the West Bengal government, as she had to leave early."
Read also: 'Abolish NITI Aayog, bring back Planning Commission,' Mamata Banerjee's appeal before the meeting
CMs from these states did not attend the meeting
It should be noted that several Chief Ministers of the India Block boycotted this meeting. Meanwhile, Tamil Nadu CM MK Stalin, Kerala CM and CPI (M) leader Pinarayi Vijayan, Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann, and all three Congress Chief Ministers - Siddaramaiah of Karnataka, Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu of Himachal Pradesh, and Telangana's CM Revant Reddy announced to boycott the crucial NITI Aayog meeting.
Additionally, NDA ally Nitish Kumar also did not attend the meeting but Bihar's two Deputy Chief Ministers - Samrat Choudhary and Vijay Sinha participated on his behalf.
Main agenda of the NITI Aayog meeting
The primary focus of the NITI Aayog Governing Council meeting is to transform India into a developed nation by 2047. Discussions will be held on creating delivery mechanisms to improve the quality of life of people living in villages and cities through the partnership and cooperation of central and state governments. NITI Aayog stated that India is on the path to becoming the world's third-largest economy with a GDP of five trillion dollars and aims to achieve a 30 trillion dollar economy by 2047.
