‘Scripted Drama’? Mamata Banerjee’s NITI Aayog Walkout Sparks Controversy; CEO Denies Her Claims

New Delhi: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's walkout from the NITI Aayog meeting has sparked a heated exchange between the Trinamool Congress (TMC) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The controversy erupted after Banerjee, who is also the TMC chief, walked out of the meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, claiming she was unfairly cut off during her speech. She alleged that her microphone was turned off after just five minutes, while other chief ministers were given more time.

What Happened at NITI Aayog Meet?

At the NITI Aayog meeting, Mamata Banerjee said her microphone was stopped after five minutes, while other chief ministers were allowed to speak for longer durations. "This is insulting. I will not attend any further meetings," 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, and Chhattisgarh spoke for 10-12 minutes. I was stopped from speaking after just five minutes," she told reporters after coming out of the meeting of chief ministers chaired by 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 said 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. Banerjee 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. 

Niti Aayog CEO Dismisses Mamata's Claims

Dismissing Mamata's Claims, Niti Aayog CEO Subramanyam said that West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee requested to speak early before lunch and "it was accepted".  

"Normally we would have gone alphabetically. The Raksha Mantri called her in, just before Gujarat, so she made her statement. Every CM is allotted seven minutes. She said that ‘I would have liked to speak for more time but I’ll speak no more", he added.  

BJP, TMC Spar

The BJP dismissed her claims as theatrics, accusing her of staging a political stunt. They asserted that Banerjee's speaking time had simply expired. The TMC responded by accusing the Centre of stifling opposition voices and undermining cooperative federalism. TMC leaders argued that Banerjee's inability to finish her speech highlighted the central government's disregard for non-BJP states.

The BJP further accused Banerjee of using the incident to gain media attention and questioned her commitment to working for the people of West Bengal. The TMC, however, maintained that the incident was a blatant attempt by the Centre to silence dissent and diminish the role of opposition leaders.

Mamata's Actions 'Scripted', Says Congress

State Congress president Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury criticized Banerjee's actions as a "scripted" move to attract media attention, particularly in light of Rahul Gandhi's rising profile. CPI(M) Rajya Sabha MP Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharya questioned Banerjee's motives for attending the meeting when other INDIA bloc chief ministers chose to skip it, suggesting it was part of a prearranged plan with Modi.      

PIB Fact Checks Mamata's Claim

The Press Information Bureau (PIB), the centre's fact-checking unit also countered Mamata's claim, saying,"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."      

Government sources have rejected West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's claim that she left the Niti Aayog meeting due to her microphone being turned off. According to officials, Banerjee's speaking time had concluded, and it is incorrect to suggest that her microphone was deactivated. The sources highlighted that the meeting's clock indicated that her allotted time had expired.  

They further added that alphabetically, her turn would have come after lunch but she was accommodated as the seventh speaker on an official request from the West Bengal government as she had to return to Kolkata early.