Centre Refutes Mamata Banerjee’s Mic Muting Claims at NITI Aayog Meeting

New Delhi: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Saturday accused the Centre of “political discrimination” following a contentious NITI Aayog meeting in Delhi, which she attended as the sole Chief Minister from a non-BJP state. The meeting was intended for state leaders to voice their concerns directly to the Prime Minister, but Banerjee alleged that her microphone was muted and she was given only five minutes to speak, unlike her counterparts who spoke for 10-20 minutes.

However, the Press Information Bureau swiftly dismissed these claims, asserting that Banerjee’s microphone was not muted and that the time shown on the clock simply indicated the end of her allotted speaking time. The Bureau added that no bell was rung to signal her time limit.

It is being claimed that the microphone of CM, West Bengal was switched off during the 9th Governing Council Meeting of NITI Aayog#PIBFactCheck

▶️ This claim is #Misleading

▶️ The clock only showed that her speaking time was over. Even the bell was not rung to mark it pic.twitter.com/P4N3oSOhBk

— PIB Fact Check (@PIBFactCheck) July 27, 2024

Upon returning to Kolkata, Banerjee reiterated her dissatisfaction, asserting that the bell was repeatedly rung during her speech and accusing the Centre of deliberate disrespect. “I attended in the spirit of cooperative federalism to represent opposition-ruled states,” she said. “If states are deprived, the Union will be handicapped.”

Banerjee highlighted that other Chief Ministers, including Chandrababu Naidu and others, were given significantly more time to speak. She criticized the meeting as an attempt to marginalise the opposition and indicated that her party might reconsider future participation in such forums.

The boycott of the NITI Aayog meeting by other opposition leaders, including Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin, Congress-ruled states’ Chief Ministers, and others, was driven by dissatisfaction with the Union Budget’s treatment of states they govern.