'Stopped from speaking', Mamata storms out of Niti Aayog meet

NT Bureau: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Saturday walked out the NITI Aayog Governing Council meeting, alleging that she was not given “inadequate time to speak” and was discriminated against.

Banerjee alleged that Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister and Telugu Desam Party chief N Chandrababu Naidu was given 20 minutes to speak, while the chief ministers from the Bharatiya Janata Par ty-r uled states of Assam, Goa and Chhattisgarh spoke for 10 to 12 minutes.

The Telugu Desam Party is an ally of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance at the Centre. Banerjee alleged that in contrast, her microphone was cut off within five minutes.

“I came alone from the Opposition but they stopped me in five minutes,” the chief minister said.

“This is an insult. I will not attend any further meetings.” Five chief ministers of Opposition-ruled states had earlier said that they would boycott the NITI Aayog meeting to protest against the allegedly discriminatory Union Budget presented on July 23. Banerjee, however, said that she would attend it to protest the “political discrimination being done with Bengal”.