Centre factchecks ‘microphone muted’ claim by Mamata Banerjee; FM Sitharaman says Bengal CM alloted due time at NITI Aayog meeting
XScreengrab from PIB Fact Check
NEW DELHI: The central government's fact checking body on Saturday refuted as "misleading" the claim made by West Bengal chief minster about her microphone being switched off during a meeting of the NITI Aayog in the national capital on Saturday. A PIB fact check today debunked her allegations stating that "only the clock showed that her speaking time was over."
"It is being claimed that the microphone of CM, West Bengal was switched off during the 9th Governing Council Meeting of NITI Aayog. This claim is Misleading. The clock only showed that her speaking time was over. Even the bell was not rung to mark it," the Press Information Bureau (PIB) said in a post on X.
Meanwhile, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman told ANI that it is "completely false" of Mamata Banerjee to claim that her microphone was switched off and claimed that every chief minister at the meeting was "allotted their due time to speak." "CM Mamata Banerjee attended the Niti Aayog meeting. We all heard her. Every CM was given the allotted time and that was displayed on the screen which was present before every table…She said in the media that her mic was put off. That is completely false, " Sitharaman told ANI.
"Every CM was given their 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…She should speak the truth behind this rather than again build a narrative based on falsehood," the Union Finance Minister said.
According to the government fact check body PIB, Mamata Banerjee's turn to speak would be only after lunch if one goes alphabetically but she was "accomodated" as the seventh speaker on an official request from the Chief Minister.
"Alphabetically, CM, West Bengal turn would have come after lunch. She was accommodated as the 7th speaker on an official request of the West Bengal government as she had to return early," PIB Fact Check explained in a subsequent tweet.
Earlier today speaking to reporters, the West Bengal Chief Minister alleged "political discrimination" and said that at the NITI Aayog meeting she was not allowed to speak for more than five minutes while other chief ministers were given 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 five minutes. People before me spoke for 10-20 minutes," Banerjee told reporters after she stormed out of the NITI Aayog meeting today.
"I was the only one from the opposition who was participating but still, I was not allowed to speak. This is insulting…," Banerjee said as she walked out mid way from the meeting. "I have come out boycotting the NITI Aayog meeting. Chandrababu Naidu was given 20 minutes to speak, Chief Ministers of Assam, Goa, Chhattisgarh spoke for 10-12 minutes. I was stopped after just 5 minutes. This is unfair," the Chief Minister said speaking to reporters after coming out of the meeting.
Claiming that she had chosen to participate in the meeting to strengthen "cooperative federalism" Banerjee said, "There are many regional aspirations. That is why I am here, to share those aspirations. If a state is strong, the Union will be strong." The Chief Minister said that several states, including West Bengal, were deprived in the Union Budget that was presented in Parliament this week, Asking the central government to treat states equally, Banerjee said, "Bengal has been deprived of MNREGA funds for the last three years, nothing was paid. Treat all states equally. I said that today. I am speaking on behalf of all the states which have been deprived." Hitting out at the central government over the Budget, the Chief Minister said that the Centre does not support "cooperative federalism."
"From the Opposition side, I am here to strengthen cooperative federalism. But you are not for cooperative federalism. The Budget is totally politically biased. Why discriminate against other states?" Banerjee said. The Trinamool Congress supremo also asked the Centre to give financial powers to NITI Aayog or bring back the Planning Commission. "NITI Aayog has no financial powers, how will it work? Give it financial powers, or bring back the Planning Commission," she said.
Chief Ministers of opposition-led states including Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Himachal Pradesh, Telangana, Delhi and Punjab boycotted the NITI Aayog meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
On Wednesday, Chief Minister of Punjab Bhagwant Mann and Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy said that their government will boycott the NITI Aayog in protest against the central government's alleged injustice to the state in the allocation of funds in the 2024 Union Budget.