Grave lapse: Mamata Banerjee writes to NITI Aayog for depicting Bihar as Bengal

Kolkata, July 9 West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday wrote a letter to NITI Aayog Vice Chairperson Suman Bery, strongly objecting to the depiction of Bihar as West Bengal in the 'Summary Report' published on the website of the premier national institution.

"Such a grave lapse in an official document of a premier national institution is not merely a technical error but an affront to the identity and dignity of the State of West Bengal. Such a blunder in an official publication of NITI Aayog reflects an alarming lack of diligence and respect towards the States of the Union," the letter read.

In the NITI Aayog's summary report, the map intended to represent West Bengal has depicted the territory of Bihar in its place, she said.

According to her, "The lapse raised legitimate concerns about the rigour and reliability of the institution's work, which policymakers and citizens depend on for accurate and informed decision-making."

She claimed that such a lapse also casts significant doubts on the quality, authenticity, and credibility of reports and publications of NITI Aayog.

"The Government of West Bengal strongly condemns this inaccuracy and calls upon NITI Aayog to issue a clarification and apology and take immediate corrective action to rectify the document and to institute robust mechanisms to prevent such lapses in future," the Chief Minister’s letter read.

Trinamool Congress has also issued a statement, saying that "insulting Bengal's pride had become ingrained in the functioning of NITI Aayog".

According to Trinamool Congress, "The BJP dealt the first big blow to Bengali pride by replacing Netaji's National Planning Commission with NITI Aayog."

"They insulted Mamata Banerjee by making her wait for hours, only to switch off her microphone at a NITI Aayog meeting," it said.

"And now, in their official State Summary, NITI Aayog has misrepresented Bengal. This isn't an innocuous mix-up; it's a deliberate attempt to erase our identity," the statement from Trinamool Congress read.

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