Mamata Banerjee Denounces Mic Muting Incident at NITI Aayog Meeting, Claims Discrimination

West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee accused the central government of switching off her microphone during a NITI Aayog meeting, terming it as political discrimination. Jharkhand Mukti Morcha's General Secretary, Supriyo Bhattacharya, called the act discriminatory. The central government refuted the claims with a fact check.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has accused the central government of deliberately muting her microphone during the NITI Aayog meeting, describing it as an act of political discrimination. Supriyo Bhattacharya, General Secretary of the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM), deemed the occurrence discriminatory, asserting that all states merit equal respect.

Bhattacharya highlighted that both individuals and states possess self-respect. "If you invite someone and insult them like that, who will stay? Everyone has self-respect; every state has self-respect," he mentioned during an interview with ANI. Banerjee alleged that she was cut short at the NITI Aayog meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, with only five minutes of speaking time.

The central government's fact-checking body deemed Banerjee's microphone muting claim as misleading. According to a PIB fact-check, "only the clock showed that her speaking time was over." The Press Information Bureau's post on the social media platform X clarified that Banerjee was accommodated as the seventh speaker at the request of her office, despite her alphabetical turn being after lunch.

Banerjee claimed that she joined the meeting to advance "cooperative federalism," but alleged unfair treatment. "I was the only opposition voice present, yet I was not allowed to speak adequately," she stated, describing the incident as insulting. Mamata Banerjee concluded her participation in the meeting by staging a walkout and accusing the central government of biased behavior.

The Chief Minister said that several states, including West Bengal, were neglected in the Union Budget presentation and emphasized that strong states lead to a strong Union.