Mamata Banerjee, Centre Spar After Niti Aayog Meeting; Bengal CM Claims Humiliation | DNA Exclusive

When West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee agreed to participate in the 9th Governing Council Meeting of NITI Aayog despite a boycott from the opposition-ruled states, it was clear that the meeting was not going to be smooth for the Central government. Banerjee not only walked out of the meeting but also levelled serious allegations against the Central government. In today's DNA, we will analyse the claims made by both sides.

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After crashing out of the Niti Aayog meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi midway, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee accused the Centre of "insulting Bengal" by interrupting her speech after five minutes, adding that it was a deliberate attempt to "malign the Opposition". Accusing the Centre of favouring BJP-ruled states by providing them privileges and packages, Mamata Banerjee said, "I said whatever I could in the 3 to 4 minutes that I got. In the entire country, the way in which all the opposition-ruled states have been neglected and BJP ruled states and their alliance members have been favoured, we don't have any objection if any state is given more money but this is not acceptable that someone will get and someone will not get at all."

The Chief Minister defended her decision of boycotting the meeting and said that she should have been given extra time as she was representing the entire opposition. Mamata Banerjee said, "I was the only one from the Opposition ruled states who had gone there. They should have given me 30 minutes...At the beginning of the meeting, Rajnath Singh said that everyone should present their views in 5-7 minutes but I was not even given 7 minutes to speak. Their people were given 20 minutes, they got special packages and privileges but others got 0 minutes. I did the right thing by boycotting the meeting. I will not let them insult Bengal. I stand strongly with the Opposition parties running the government in other states."

However, the Central government said that the allegations are false. "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. Alphabetically, CM West Bengal's 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," said the PIB.