Mamata Banerjee Walks Out of NITI Aayog Meeting
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee walked out of the NITI Aayog meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on July 27, 2023. She claimed that she was not given an opportunity to speak adequately.
Banerjee expressed her dissatisfaction with the limited time she was allowed to speak, stating that others before her spoke for 10-20 minutes. She felt this was disrespectful, especially considering she was the only opposition member present.
The TMC supremo also criticized the Union Budget, calling it politically biased. She alleged that BJP-ruled states were asked to highlight their achievements while non-BJP states were not given the same opportunity.
Several other opposition Chief Ministers also boycotted the meeting, including MK Stalin of Tamil Nadu, Pinarayi Vijayan of Kerala, Bhagwant Mann of Punjab, and all three Congress CMs. They expressed concerns about the NITI Aayog's effectiveness and called for the restoration of the Planning Commission.
On July 26, Banerjee had already voiced her disapproval of the NITI Aayog, suggesting it be scrapped and replaced with the Planning Commission.