MAMATA WALKS OUT OF NITI MEETING; HER CHARGES REFUTED BY FM

On Saturday, Chief Minister of West Bengal Mamata Banerjee,walked out of the 9th Governing Council meeting of NITI Aayog in New Delhi.

- TIKAM SHARMA

She alleged that she was permitted to speak for only five minutes, whereas other Chief Ministers received more time to address the meeting, which was chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The council, which serves as the highest authority within NITI Aayog, comprises all state chief ministers, lieutenant governors of Union Territories, and various Union ministers. Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman however denied these allegations.

Sitharaman said that it is “completely false” of Mamata Banerjee to claim that her microphone was switched off and claimed that every chief minister at the meeting was “allotted their due time to speak.”

“CM Mamata Banerjee attended the Niti Aayog meeting. We all heard her. Every CM was given the allotted time and that was displayed on the screen which was present before every table...She said in the media that her mic was put off. That is completely false, “ Sitharaman said.