Mamata Banerjee walked out of NITI Aayog meeting. Nirmala Sitharaman rejected Bengal CM’s claim that she was unfairly stopped midway in her speech.

Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman rejected West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee’s claim that she was unfairly stopped midway in her speech a NITI Aayog meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi on Saturday. After walking out of the 9th NITI Aayog’s Governing Council meeting, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Mamata Banerjee alleged that her microphone was stopped after five minutes, while other chief ministers were allowed to speak for longer durations.

West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee addresses a press conference.(ANI file)

Reacting to the Trinamool Congress chief’s allegation, Nirmala Sitharaman told news agency ANI that it is incorrect to say that Mamata Banerjee’s microphone was switched off and claimed that the clock showed that her speaking time was over.

“CM Mamata Banerjee attended the NITI Aayog meeting. We all heard her. Every CM was given the allotted time and that was displayed on the screen which was present before every table…She said in the media that her mic was put off. That is completely false. Every CM was given their due time to speak…It’s unfortunate that the chief minister of West Bengal, Mamata Banerjee has claimed that her mic was switched off which is not true…She should speak the truth behind this rather than again build a narrative based on falsehood,” the finance minister said.

Separately, Press Information Bureau Fact Check (PIB Fact Check), under the information & broadcasting ministry, claimed that Mamata Banerjee’s allegation was “misleading”

“It is being claimed that the microphone of CM, West Bengal was switched off during the 9th Governing Council Meeting of NITI Aayog. This claim is #Misleading. The clock only showed that her speaking time was over. Even the bell was not rung to mark it,” PIB Fact Check posted on X.

“Alphabetically, CM, West Bengal turn would have come after lunch. She was accommodated as the 7th speaker on an official request of the West Bengal government as she had to return early,” it added.

Union minister Pralhad Joshi reacts

Union minister Pralhad Joshi said he has not seen what has happened at the meeting. “I can only say this so-called INDI alliance is not at all an alliance because Mamata Banerjee did not give a single seat to the Congress in West Bengal. They are not able to digest the mandate of the people, they are crying foul.”

What did Mamata Banerjee allege?

Mamata Banerjee said her microphone was stopped after five minutes, while other chief ministers from NDA-ruled states were allowed to speak for longer durations.

“This is insulting. I will not attend any further meeting,” the Trinamool Congress (TMC) supremo said.

“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, Chhattisgarh spoke for 10-12 minutes. I was stopped from speaking after just five minutes,” Mamata Banerjee told reporters after coming out of the meeting of chief ministers chaired by PM Narendra Modi.

“This is unfair. From the opposition side, only I am representing here. I attended this meeting because of the greater interest that cooperative federalism should be strengthened,” she added.

Banerjee added that she mentioned during the meeting that the government presented a politically biased budget and asked why the Centre was discriminating among states.

“The NITI Aayog has no financial powers. How will it work? Give it financial powers or bring the Planning Commission back,” she said.

“I was stopped from speaking after five minutes. I said this is unfair. I am the only one present from the opposition side, I am attending this meeting because of the greater interest,” she said.

Banerjee said she mentioned at the meeting that certain states were overlooked in the Union Budget for 2024-25.

“I said you are politically biased, you are not giving attention to different states. Even the budget is a political, biased budget…. I told them it should be reviewed. I spoke for all states,” Banerjee said.

She also pointed out at the meeting that central funds are due to West Bengal under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) and Prime Minister Awas Yojana.

The TMC chief said she wanted to speak more but her microphone was switched off after five minutes.

“I was stopped after five minutes. Others spoke for 10-15-20 minutes. I was the only one from the opposition but I was stopped. This is insulting. I will not attend any further meetings,” she said.