West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee found herself in the spotlight as she walked out of the NITI Aayog meeting in Delhi, voicing her dissatisfaction with the limited speaking time she was allotted. Banerjee highlighted her concerns about discrimination against state governments and expressed her frustration over not being given the opportunity to speak at length like other attendees.
During the NITI Aayog's ninth Governing Council meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Banerjee, a member of the INDIA bloc, criticized the Union Budget, accusing it of being politically biased. She pointed out that the chief ministers of BJP-ruled states were asked to showcase their achievements, while the Opposition leaders who boycotted the meeting condemned the government's approach. The absence of several Opposition chief ministers, including MK Stalin, Pinarayi Vijayan, and Bhagwant Mann, highlighted a divide in participation at the meeting.
Mamata Banerjee's decision to exit the NITI Aayog gathering stemmed from her belief that the think-tank introduced by the Modi government should be done away with in favor of reinstating the Planning Commission. Her actions and statements underscore the ongoing political tensions and differing views on development issues and policy matters discussed at such forums.