NITI Aayog Meeting: Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Saturday debunked the claims made by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee that her mic was switched off during her NITI Aayog meeting address, saying the CM's claims were completely false and she was allotted due time to speak. Accusing Mamata of "building a narrative based on falsehood", FM asked her to speak the truth behind her claims.
This comes as a fresh row erupted when the West Bengal Chief Minister alleged "political discrimination", claiming that at the NITI Aayog meeting, she was not allowed to speak for more than five minutes while other chief ministers were given more time.
Refuting Mamata's claims, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said: "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."
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"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,” she added.
Earlier, speaking to reporters after she stormed out of the meeting, Mamata said that she was the only opposition Chief Minister attending the meeting and despite that her time was cut short and she was discriminated against inside the meeting.
"I was the only one from the opposition who was participating but still, I was not allowed to speak. This is insulting...," Banerjee said as she walked out mid-way from the meeting."I have come out boycotting the NITI Aayog meeting. Chandrababu Naidu was given 20 minutes to speak, and Chief Ministers of Assam, Goa, and Chhattisgarh spoke for 10-12 minutes. I was stopped after just 5 minutes. This is unfair," the Chief Minister said speaking to reporters after coming out of the meeting.
Meanwhile, opposition parties took a hit at the central government over the allegations of Mamata Banerjee.
"They use the ED and CBI and send the leaders of the opposition party to the jail...So the statement of Mamata Banerjee is correct... When a protest was held in Parliament that discrimination had been done against the states in the budget, funds have not been allocated to several states...Her motive for going to the meeting was to know the truth and she got to know that and then gave a statement..." AAP leader Sanjay Singh said.