New Delhi/Kolkata: Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman refuted West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's claim that the latter's 'microphone was switched off' while she was speaking at the NITI Aayog meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Mod here on Saturday. Sitharaman asserted that every CM was "allotted due time to speak".
"It's unfortunate that the chief minister of West Bengal, Mamata Banerjee, has claimed that her mic was switched off, which is not true, and it is unfortunate because we're happy that she participated in this meeting. She put forth her case, spoke for West Bengal and, as she said, spoke for all the opposition. But even as she was doing it and we were hearing, as per the procedure," FM Sitharaman said.
The Finance Minister further said, "If she's reminded that her time is over, even with the mic on, she could have requested that she will continue speaking like some other Chief Ministers did. But she chose to use it as an excuse so that she can get out of the meeting." "She should speak the truth rather than build a narrative based on falsehood," she added.
Meanwhile, speaking to the media after coming out of the meeting, Banerjee said her microphone was stopped after five minutes, while other chief ministers were allowed to speak for longer durations, adding she felt insulted after being unfairly stopped midway through her speech, despite being the only opposition leader in the meeting.
"This is insulting. I will not attend any further meetings," the Trinamool Congress (TMC) supremo said. "I have come out boycotting the meeting. (Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister) Chandrababu Naidu was given 20 minutes to speak. The chief ministers of Assam, Goa, and Chhattisgarh spoke for 10-12 minutes. I was stopped from speaking after just five minutes," she told reporters after coming out of the meeting of chief ministers chaired by Modi.
"This is unfair. From the opposition side, only I am representing here. I attended this meeting because of the greater interest that cooperative federalism should be strengthened," she added.
Upon reaching Kolkata later in the day, Mamata again spoke of the Niti Aayog meeting claiming she was not allowed to speak. "This is humiliation...I have no problem if Centre allocates more funds to some states, but it cannot discriminate against Bengal," she said.
Government sources said it is incorrect to say that Banerjee's microphone was switched off and asserted that the clock showed that her speaking time was over.
They further added that alphabetically, her turn would have come after lunch but she was accommodated as the seventh speaker on an official request from the West Bengal government as she had to return to Kolkata early. Banerjee said she mentioned during the meeting that the government presented a politically biased budget and asked why the Centre was discriminating among states.
"The NITI Aayog has no financial powers. How will it work? Give it financial powers or bring the Planning Commission back," she said. "I was stopped from speaking after five minutes. I said this is unfair. I am the only one present from the opposition side, I am attending this meeting because of the greater interest," she said.
Banerjee said she mentioned at the meeting that certain states were overlooked in the Union Budget for 2024-25. "I said you are politically biased, you are not giving attention to different states. Even the budget is a political, biased budget.... I told them it should be reviewed. I spoke for all states," Banerjee said.