NITI Aayog Drama: Banerjee Alleges Discrimination, Joshi Defends Meeting

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has accused the central government of political discrimination at the NITI Aayog meeting, while Union Minister Prahlad Joshi dismissed her claims. JD(U) spokesperson KC Tyagi lamented the boycott by several CMs of opposition-led states, citing its importance for state development.

Union Minister Prahlad Joshi on Saturday responded to West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s accusations of “political discrimination” at the NITI Aayog meeting, stating he was unaware of the details but criticized the opposition bloc for not accepting the public mandate. “What has happened in the NITI Aayog meeting, I have not seen, I was travelling. I will verify that. I can only say that these so-called INDI bloc members, it is not at all an alliance because Mamata did not give a single seat to Congress in polls. What respect she gives to the Congress in West Bengal, everybody knows. But these parties are not able to digest the mandate of the people and are crying foul,” Joshi told reporters.

JD(U) spokesperson KC Tyagi expressed regret over the boycott by several opposition-led state chief ministers, calling it “unfortunate” as NITI Aayog is crucial for fund allocation between the Centre and states. “This is the organisation which solves the problem of the allocation of funds between the Central government and the state government. It safeguards the rights of the states. It is very unfortunate that several CMs have boycotted the NITI Aayog meeting, which is important for their state development,” Tyagi said.

Earlier, Banerjee stormed out of the meeting, alleging her microphone was muted and she was restricted to speaking for only five minutes while others had more time. “I said you (central government) should not discriminate against state governments. I wanted to speak but my mic was muted. I was allowed to speak only for 5 minutes. People before me spoke for 10-20 minutes,” Banerjee told reporters. She protested the alleged political discrimination against Bengal and other opposition states in the Union Budget and reaffirmed her stance before departing for Delhi. Chief Ministers of Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Himachal Pradesh, Telangana, Delhi, and Punjab boycotted the meeting in solidarity, accusing the central government of biased fund allocation in the 2024 Union Budget.