Bengal CM Banerjee Claims Mic Muted At Niti Aayog Meet, Centre Debunks Claim With PIB Fact Check

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has alleged that her mic was muted at the key NITI Aayog meeting in Delhi.

"I said you (Centre) shouldn't discriminate against state governments. I wanted to speak, but my mic was muted. I was allowed to speak only for 5 minutes, while people before me spoke for 10-20 minutes," the Bengal CM said after storming out of the meeting.

However, the central government's fact-checking body has denied her claims 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.

The fact check body stated that Mamata's turn to speak would be only after lunch if one goes alphabetically but she was "accommodated" 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.

Nirmala Sitharaman Reacts
Speaking to news agency ANI, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman refuted Mamata's allegations, and stated 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 the news agency.

"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 FM added.

Earlier, 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. According to her, other CMs were given more time to speak.

"I was the only one from the opposition who was participating but still, I was not allowed to speak. This is insulting...," Banerjee said.

Claiming she had chosen to participate in the meeting to strengthen "cooperative federalism," Banerjee stated, "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 noted that several states, including West Bengal, were deprived in the Union Budget presented in Parliament this week.

Urging the central government to treat all states equally, Banerjee remarked, "Bengal has been deprived of MNREGA funds for the last three years, with nothing paid. Treat all states equally. I said that today. I am speaking on behalf of all the states that have been deprived."

Criticizing the central government over the Budget, the Chief Minister asserted 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.