In a strong rebuttal to West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s claim that her microphone was turned off and she was only given five minutes to speak at a significant Niti Aayog meeting, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has accused Banerjee of “trying to build a narrative out of falsehood.” The finance minister stated that all chief ministers were given “due time” to speak and that Banerjee, the Trinamool Congress chief, could have requested more time instead of “looking for an excuse” to leave the meeting.
Ms Banerjee, who was the only chief minister from the INDIA bloc not to boycott the Niti Aayog general council meeting on Saturday, had alleged “political discrimination.” She claimed she was only allowed to speak for five minutes, whereas some of her counterparts from other states were given over 15 minutes. She also mentioned that her microphone was turned off and a bell was rung repeatedly to indicate that her allotted time was up.
"I was stunned when she (Mamata Banerjee) went out and told the media, 'I walked out because they didn't allow me to speak.' How untrue can this be?" FM Nirmala Sitharaman #NirmalaSitharaman #ITVideo #Budget2024 #UnionBudget24 | @nsitharaman pic.twitter.com/zwMIPtmtna
— Rahul Kanwal (@rahulkanwal) July 27, 2024
“Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee attended the Niti Aayog meeting. We all heard her. Every chief minister was given their allotted time, which was displayed on the screen in front of each table. She has now told the media that her microphone was turned off, which is completely false. Every chief minister was given their due time to speak,” Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said.
Ms Sitharaman explained that the meeting, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and organised by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, followed a procedure where Mr Singh would tap the microphone when a chief minister’s time was up.
“This was done for all chief ministers, and, unfortunately, Ms Banerjee claimed her microphone was switched off, which is not true. It is especially unfortunate because we were glad she participated in the meeting, spoke for West Bengal, and, as she mentioned, spoke for the opposition,” the finance minister said.
“As per the procedure, if reminded that her time was over, even with the microphone on, she could have requested to continue speaking, as some other chief ministers did. She could have spoken as long as she wanted, but she chose to use it as an excuse to leave the meeting. Claiming that the microphone was switched off is unfortunate. I wish she would tell the truth rather than create a narrative based on falsehood,” she added.
Nirmala Sitharaman tears into Congress leader Jairam Ramesh for promoting Mamata Banerjee’s falsehoods
The alleged discrimination against Ms Banerjee was also supported by some of her colleagues in the INDIA alliance, including Jairam Ramesh of the Congress, who criticized Niti Aayog meetings as meaningless.
On X, Mr Ramesh stated, “Niti Aayog suppresses all different and dissenting viewpoints, which are crucial to an open democracy. Its meetings are nothing but a farce. The treatment of the West Bengal chief minister today, typical of Niti Aayog, is unacceptable.”
In response, Ms Sitharaman countered Mr Ramesh’s comments, pointing out that the Congress wasn’t even present at the meeting and suggesting that Ms Banerjee’s statement was aimed at pleasing her INDIA allies.
“Jairam, you weren’t even there! We all heard Hon. CM @MamataOfficial. She spoke for her full allotted time. The screen in front of our tables showed the time continuously. Some other CMs spoke beyond their allotted time, and extra time was granted upon request without any issues. No one’s microphone was turned off, especially not for the CM of West Bengal. Mamata ji is spreading falsehoods,” the finance minister wrote on X.
Jairam, you weren’t even there! We all heard Hon. CM @MamataOfficial . She spoke her full time. The screen in front of our tables kept showing the time. A few other CMs spoke beyond their allotted time. On their own request, extra time was allowed without any fuss. Mikes were not…
— Nirmala Sitharaman (@nsitharaman) July 27, 2024
Ms Sitharaman added, “I was happy she attended and even happier when she said she was speaking for Bengal and the entire opposition. I may agree or disagree with her points, but her baseless statements outside make it clear that she is trying to keep the INDIA alliance content.”
