Mamata Banerjee to skip NITI Aayog meeting on June 15, says “fruitless” to attend

New Delhi, June 07: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has said that it would "fruitless" for her to attend the NITI Aayog meeting on June 15 as the planning body has "no financial powers and the power to support state plans."

She reportedly conveyed this to Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a letter.

"Given that the NITI Aaayog has no financial powers and the power to support state plans it is fruitless for me to attend the meeting," she reportedly wrote.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will chair a meeting of Niti Aayog's Governing Council on June 15, its fifth such meeting and the first since the government won a second term in office.

The PM, who is the chairman of Niti Aayog, had chaired four such meetings during his first term, and the fourth meeting was held on June 17 last year.

Chief ministers of all states, governors and lieutenant governors of all Union Territories have been invited by the Aayog to participate in the meeting.