Mamata Banerjee Demands Restoration of Planning Commission at NITI Aayog Meeting

During a NITI Aayog meeting in Delhi, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee called for scrapping the policy think tank and restoring the Planning Commission. She criticized the BJP-led NDA government for its biased budget and lack of financial powers in the NITI Aayog. Several INDIA bloc CMs will skip the meeting in protest.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, in Delhi for a NITI Aayog meeting on July 27, called for the policy think tank to be scrapped and the Planning Commission to be restored. She criticised the BJP-led NDA for its biased budget and claimed the NITI Aayog lacks financial powers.

Banerjee plans to attend the meeting despite most INDIA bloc chief ministers opting to skip it. She argued that their voices should be raised on a common platform, accusing the BJP of not having the people's mandate. She described the BJP-ruled NDA's budget as politically biased and driven by compulsion to deprive opposition states.

Several INDIA bloc CMs, including those from Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Punjab, Karnataka, Himachal Pradesh, and Telegana, will not attend the meeting. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will chair the NITI Aayog's ninth Governing Council meeting, focusing on making India a developed nation by 2047.