West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee walked out of Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led Indian National Union Congress in New Delhi on Saturday, accusing her microphone of being deliberately switched off when she began speaking about the allocation of funds to the state.
“…When I was speaking, the microphone was stopped. I said why stopped, why are you discriminating? I am present in the meeting. You should be happy that you have given more space to your party, the government. I am the only one from the opposition present and yet you are stopping me from speaking…This is an insult not only to Bengal but to all regional parties…” she alleged.
‘Spreading falsehoods’: Finance Minister Sitharaman slams Banerjee
Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman accused Bengal Chief Minister Banerjee of spreading falsehoods. Taking to her official X account, she said, “We all listened to PM Mamata Official. She spoke for the entire time. The time was kept displayed on the screen in front of our table. Several other PMs spoke beyond the allotted time. At their own request, they were granted extra time without any fuss. The microphone was not cut on anyone, especially the PM or the WB. Mamata has chosen to spread falsehoods.”
“I am happy that she was there and even happier when she said that she was speaking on behalf of Bengal and in fact the entire opposition. You may agree or disagree with what she has said, but now that she is out there saying baseless things, I can only assume that she is trying to please the INDI alliance,” she added.
Eyewitnesses speak out on News 18
An eyewitness (CM) who was present at the meeting told Network 18 that a small bell rang at the end of Banerjee’s seven minutes, after which she quickly caught up and left.
Moreover, she did not listen to anyone, including Rajnath Singh, who had urged chief ministers to give her a minute or two of grace, they said.
In fact, several other chief ministers of states whose deadlines had expired had also requested extensions and were granted them by Chief Minister Rajnath Singh, they added.
Many chief ministers of NDA-ruled states felt this was a planned move by Mamata Banerjee to create controversy.
BJP leaders condemn Bengal Chief Minister’s action
Union Minister Sukanta Majumdar strongly condemned the Bengal Chief Minister’s strike and termed it “planned”. He told X, “Chief Minister Mamata Official’s strike was planned. It is unfortunate that the Chief Minister who could have spoken for the people of Bengal has chosen drama over substance in Delhi. This shows that she is not serious about the needs of Bengal and is only interested in theatrics.”
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma also criticised X, saying, “At the NITI Aayog meeting, I spoke for exactly seven minutes and 30 seconds, exceeding the allotted time of seven minutes.”
Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri on Saturday dismissed claims that West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s microphone was switched off while she was addressing a National Indian Congress (NITI) meet in Delhi, saying it was “not a state issue”. Addressing a press conference in Ahmedabad organised by the Gujarat BJP on the Union Budget, Puri said, “I was not inside and I don’t know how much time was given (to her).”
“But it’s also been said that in Parliament the microphones are turned off. It just so happens that the microphones are on when she’s speaking. I don’t know much about that. I don’t know how long she spoke. But whether she spoke for 15 minutes or 18 minutes, this is certainly not a national issue,” he added.
Opposition parties support Bengal Chief Minister
Indian National Congress leader Jairam Ramesh supported Mamata Banerjee’s action and said the treatment of the West Bengal Chief Minister at today’s meeting was unacceptable. He said, “This meeting (NITI Aayog meeting) silences all different and dissenting views, which is the essence of open democracy. This meeting is a travesty to be reckoned with. The way the West Bengal Chief Minister was treated today is typical of NITI Aayog but unacceptable.”
Since its inception a decade ago, NITI Aayog has functioned as an attached body to the Prime Minister’s Office and as an instigator for the non-biological Prime Minister. It has not promoted the idea of cooperative federalism in any way. Its functioning is blatantly partisan and…
— Jairam Ramesh (@Jairam_Ramesh) July 27, 2024
PM Modi presides over NITI Aayog meeting
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday chaired the ninth board meeting of the National Institution for Transforming India (NITI Aayog) and discussed the agenda to make India a developed country by 2047.
Addressing the meeting, the Prime Minister said that ‘Indian independence’ is the aspiration of every Indian and as states have a direct link with the people, they can play an active role in achieving this goal.
An independent India in 2047 is the aspiration of every Indian. As states have a direct link with the people, they can play an active role in achieving this goal. PM Narendra Modi said at the 9th Governing Council meeting of #NITIAayog. The Governing Council meeting is attended by… — NITI Aayog (@NITIAayog) July 27, 2024
The meeting also focused on the recommendations of the third National Chief Secretaries Conference held in December last year.
The council, chaired by the Prime Minister, comprises Chief Ministers of all states, Lieutenant Governors of Union Territories and several Union Ministers.
However, chief ministers of several opposition-ruled states, including Tamil Nadu MP Stalin and Himachal Pradesh MP Sukhvinder Singh S.K., decided not to adopt the budget in protest, describing it as “anti-federal” in nature and “highly discriminatory” against the states.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, however, decided to distance herself from the opposition alliance by attending the NITI Aayog meeting, but walked out of the ongoing meeting, accusing her microphone of being deliberately switched off when she started talking about fund allocation for the state.
The main updates are as follows:
– Several leaders from the All India camp, including Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin of the DMK, Kerala Chief Minister and CPI(M) leader Pinarayi Vijayan, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann of Ahmed’s party, and all three state chief ministers of the Indian National Congress party — Karnataka’s Siddaramaiah, Himachal Pradesh’s Sukhvinder Singh Sukh and Telangana’s Revanth Reddy — decided to boycott the conference after accusing the central government of preparing a biased budget that favoured allies JD(U) and TDP.
Regarding the boycott of the NITI Aayog meeting, Stalin said, “The budget presented by the finance minister seems to be an act of vendetta against states and people who boycotted the BJP. She has prepared the budget to take revenge on those who voted for the Indian Union. The BJP union government is continuously ignoring Tamil Nadu.”
However, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has decided to attend the NITI Aayog meeting and is determined to carve out an independent position from the opposition alliance.
Banerjee said she would take part in the meeting and use the opportunity to register her protest against the “discriminatory budget” and “conspiracy to divide West Bengal and other opposition-ruled states”.
According to the TMC, the central government owes Bengal Rs 17,600 crore and the state is struggling to pay Awas Yojana and MGNREGA dues. Party sources believe the Aayog meeting will be an appropriate forum for the chief minister to raise the issue.
“The attitude of their ministers and BJP leaders is that they want to divide Bengal. In addition to economic blockade, they are trying to impose a geographical blockade. Different leaders are making different statements to divide Jharkhand, Bihar and Bengal. We condemn this. We want our voice to be recorded and I am there for that,” Banerjee said.
Mamata Banerjee also slammed the public policy think tank set up by the Modi government and demanded the abolition of Ayayog and the restoration of the Planning Commission. “Ever since NITI Ayayog was planned, I have not seen any work being done as it has no power. Earlier there was a Planning Commission. As Chief Minister… I saw then that there was a system. I will raise my voice to stop this NITI Ayayog. They have no financial power. They can do nothing, they can only hold meetings once a year and show their face. Please restore the Planning Commission again,” Banerjee said.
Moreover, Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren also supported the coalition’s decision to boycott the conference. There had been tension over his participation in the conference. He cited his state’s default on the Union Budget as the main reason. The state owes Rs 1.36 trillion to the central government.
However, the BJP slammed the opposition for boycotting the important meeting. Party leader CR Kesavan slammed the opposition, saying they have betrayed the very spirit of cooperative federalism and are destroying the welfare and undermining the interests of the states and their people by using them as political pawns. “The obstructive opposition is indulging in dangerous and divisive federalism with its shameful boycott. This is not only irresponsible or untenable, but the action of the opposition is undemocratic. Here is the fundamental difference between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the rogue Congress-INDI coalition: For the Prime Minister, ‘Desh’ is above all else. But for the INDI coalition, hatred is above all else. This is very unfortunate…,” he said.
Regarding the boycott of the NITI Aayog meeting by the Indian National Congress and opposition chief ministers, Congress minister L Murugan said, “Mr Stalin is always giving false hope to the people of Tamil Nadu. He is always disruptive and trying to create political drama in the name of NEET…Mr Stalin is boycotting the NITI Aayog meeting and this is a complete failure of democracy.”
– Chief ministers of BJP-ruled states are expected to attend the meeting. However, NDA ally Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar is yet to confirm his attendance.
(With input from relevant agencies)
