'Mic was muted': West Bengal CM Mamata locks horns with PM Modi during NITI Aayog meet

A standoff erupted between the Indian government and West Bengal state government on Saturday (Jul 27) during the NITIAayog meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. NITIAayog is the public policy think-tank of the government of India and its annual meeting focuses on making the countrya developed nation by 2047. Niti Aayog council includes the PM, state chief ministers, lieutenant governors of Union Territories, and several Union ministers.

West Bengal CM walks out of the meeting

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjeewalked out of the meeting saying her mic was muted and she was allowed to speak only for five minutes while the allies of PM Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) were given more than 10 minutes.

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"I was allowed to speak only for five minutes. Chandrababu Naidu was given 20 minutes to speak. The chief ministers of Assam, Goa, Chhattisgarh spoke for 10–12 minutes. I registered my protest and came out," the Trinamool Congress (TMC) chief said.

She alleged that her mic was muted when she raised the issue of lack of funding from the central government.

"I was talking about central funds not being given to West Bengal, this is when they muted my mic," the West Bengal CM said.

"I said, why did you stop me, why are you discriminating? From the opposition side, only I am representing here, and attending this meeting because of the greater interest that cooperative federalism should be strengthened," she thundered.

Government rebuffs claim

Indian Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman dismissed Mamata's claims while talking to news agency ANI.

“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. 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 finance minister said.

Similarly, the government of India's Press Information Bureau (PIB) also fact-checked CM Mamata's claims.

“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,” PIB Fact Check posted on X.

Notably, Mamatawas the only opposition leader present at the meeting. Other opposition leaders had boycotted the meeting citing the"discriminatory" Union Budget. The opposition has alleged that the Budget favouredBihar and Andhra Pradesh, states ruled by the NDA allies JD(U) and TDP.

(With inputs from agencies)