West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee left the NITI Aayog Governing Council Meeting midway on Friday, accusing the central government of discriminatory treatment. Speaking to reporters, Banerjee criticised the allocation of speaking time at the meeting, claiming that she was cut off after just five minutes while other Chief Ministers were allowed 10 to 20 minutes.
“I have come out boycotting the meeting. Chandrababu Naidu was given 20 minutes to speak, CMs of Assam, Goa, Chhattisgarh spoke for 10-12 minutes. I was stopped from speaking after just five minutes. This is unfair,” Banerjee said. She accused the central government of political bias in the Budget and criticised NITI Aayog for lacking financial powers.
Read Also | NITI Ayog Meet To Hold Discussions on Viksit Bharat 2047, Says Maharashtra CM Eknath Shinde (Watch Video)
This year’s NITI Aayog meeting is themed ‘Viksit Bharat 2047,’ focusing on India's vision of becoming a developed nation by 2047. The Governing Council will review the approach paper for the Viksit Bharat vision document, aiming to improve governance and collaboration between central and state governments. Discussions will cover the role of states in this vision and the recommendations from the 3rd National Conference of Chief Secretaries held in December 2023.
The Prime Minister, as Chairperson of NITI Aayog, along with Chief Ministers, Lieutenant Governors, Union Ministers, and NITI Aayog members, participated in the meeting.