Mamata Banerjee Alleges Political Discrimination at NITI Aayog Meeting

Banerjee was the sole Chief Minister from a non-BJP governed state present at the meeting, as other INDIA bloc leaders boycotted the event.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee accused the Centre of "political discrimination" during a crucial NITI Aayog meeting in New Delhi, meant for states to voice their concerns to the Prime Minister. Banerjee was the sole Chief Minister from a non-BJP governed state present at the meeting, as other INDIA bloc leaders boycotted the event.

After exiting the meeting in protest, the Trinamool Congress leader claimed her microphone was muted, and she was permitted to speak for only five minutes.

"I said the Centre shouldn't discriminate against state governments. I wanted to speak, but my mic was muted. I was allowed to speak only for five minutes, while those before me spoke for 10-20 minutes," Banerjee told reporters.

"I was the only opposition member present, yet I was not allowed to speak. This is insulting," she added.

Although INDIA bloc Chief Ministers boycotted the meeting, Mamata Banerjee intended to highlight the 'political discrimination' faced by Bengal in the Union Budget.

Contrarily, the Centre denied Banerjee's allegations, asserting her microphone was not muted.

"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," stated the Press Information Bureau in a post on X (formerly Twitter).

Opposition leaders boycotted the meeting, citing the 'raw deal' received in the Union Budget. Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin led the boycott, followed by Congress-ruled states like Himachal Pradesh's Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu, Karnataka's Siddaramaiah, and Telangana's Revanth Reddy. Additionally, the Aam Aadmi Party-led Punjab government under Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, and the Chief Ministers of Jharkhand and Kerala, Hemant Soren and Pinarayi Vijayan, respectively, also chose to skip the event.