Mamata Banerjee Walks Out of NITI Aayog Meeting, Claims Discrimination

New Delhi July 27 2024 : West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee walked out of the NITI Aayog meeting, alleging that she was unfairly limited to just five minutes of speaking time. Banerjee expressed frustration over what she described as discriminatory treatment compared to other participants who had been given 10 to 20 minutes to speak.

In a statement to reporters, Banerjee criticized the central government for what she perceived as bias against state governments and opposition voices. “I wanted to address important issues but was only given five minutes to speak, while others spoke for much longer. My microphone was cut off while I was speaking, and I was denied the opportunity to fully present my views. This is not only an insult to Bengal but also to all regional parties,” she said.

The meeting, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, focused on several key areas, including drinking water access and quality, electricity efficiency, healthcare accessibility, educational standards, and land and property management. A vision document is being prepared with the goal of transforming India into a $30 trillion economy by 2047, marking the 100th year of its independence. NITI Aayog was tasked in 2023 with merging ten sectoral visions into a comprehensive framework for “Viksit Bharat @2047,” covering economic growth, social progress, environmental sustainability, and good governance.