Mamata Banerjee claims mic muted at PM-led Niti Aayog meet
31-Jul-2024Banerjee, who was the only Chief Minister from an opposition-ruled state to attend the meeting in Delhi
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee walked out of the Niti Aayog meeting that was chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday, claiming that her mic was muted, and she was not allowed to speak beyond five minutes.
Banerjee, who was the only Chief Minister from an opposition-ruled state to attend the meeting in Delhi, claimed her mic was muted when she brought up the issue of West Bengal being denied central funds.
"I was allowed to speak only for five minutes. Chandrababu Naidu was given 20 minutes to speak. The chief ministers of Assam, Goa, Chhattisgarh spoke for 10–12 minutes. I registered my protest and came out," the Trinamool Congress chief said.
"I was talking about central funds not being given to West Bengal, this is when they muted my mic," Banerjee said.
Calling the move an insult to Bengal and all regional parties, Banerjee alleged bias towards NDA allies.
"I said, why did you stop me, why are you discriminating? From the opposition side, only I am representing here, and attending this meeting because of the greater interest that cooperative federalism should be strengthened," she thundered.
