Mamata Banerjee's NITI Aayog walkout sparks TMC-BJP verbal duel in Bengal

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's walkout from the NITI Aayog meeting has ignited a verbal duel between the TMC and the BJP, with the saffron party calling it "drama" and the state’s ruling party accusing the Centre of suppressing opposition voices and undermining cooperative federalism.

On Saturday, Mamata Banerjee, who is also the TMC supremo, walked out of the NITI Aayog meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

She claimed she was unfairly stopped midway through her speech, despite being the sole representative of the opposition.

The government, however, rejected her claim, stating that her speaking time was over.

Banerjee alleged that her microphone was switched off after five minutes, while other chief ministers were given more time to speak.

The TMC quickly responded, asserting that the voice of the people of Bengal was not heard. The opposition BJP in West Bengal criticised Banerjee, calling it a "drama" intended to gain political advantage.

State Congress president Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury also dismissed it as a ‘scripted’ move to attract media attention, given his concerns over Rahul Gandhi's rising prominence as the opposition leader.

West Bengal Industry Minister and TMC leader Shashi Panja alleged that "cooperative federalism" was undermined since the chief minister was not allowed to complete her speech.

“This is an attempt to silence the opposition voice at the meeting. The chief minister of a non-BJP-ruled state had to walk out of the meeting as she was not allowed to speak. Awas Yojna funds and MGNREGA funds are due. These are true and justified claims of Bengal,” she said.

Panja also alleged that the Union budget discriminatory towards Bengal.

However, PIB Factcheck posted on X that it was "misleading" to claim that Banerjee’s microphone was switched off. "The clock only showed that her speaking time was over," it said.

State minister Chandrima Bhattacharya echoed Banerjee's sentiment, denying the BJP’s claim that she was using the situation as an excuse to walk out.

“It is shameful that the Centre is blatantly lying and making baseless allegations against our chief minister. The TMC government or chief minister Mamata Banerjee doesn’t need any excuse. The fact is the BJP doesn’t believe in cooperative federalism,” she said.

TMC spokesperson Santanu Sen said, "When the only woman CM of the country started speaking about Bengal not getting its dues, her microphone was muted. This shows how the voice of the opposition is being gagged. We strongly condemn this."

Several INDIA bloc chief ministers had previously announced their decision to skip the meeting in protest against the Union budget, which they alleged was "anti-federal" in spirit and "extremely discriminatory" towards their states.

The list included Tamil Nadu CM MK Stalin of the DMK, Kerala Chief Minister and CPI (M) leader Pinarayi Vijayan, Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann of the Aam Aadmi Party, and all three Congress chief ministers — Karnataka's Siddaramaiah, Himachal Pradesh's Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, and Telangana's Revanth Reddy.

The BJP accused Banerjee of deliberate and premeditated action aimed at grabbing headlines.

BJP general secretary (organisation) B L Santhosh said, "It is very easy to grab headlines in our country. First, say ‘I am the only opposition CM attending the Niti Aayog meeting’. Come out (of the meeting) and say 'I boycotted since mike was switched off'. Now for whole day TVs will display the same. No work. No discussion. That's Didi to you."

BJP Rajya Sabha MP Samik Bhattacharya described the move as a "weak script" prepared by Banerjee.

"She was allotted due time at the NITI Aayog meeting. She did not attend the meeting for the economic benefit of the people of West Bengal but to gain political dividends and stage a drama by walking out," he claimed.

"She portrayed herself as an opposition leader rather than an administrator," he added.

Senior BJP leader Agnimitra Paul said Banerjee’s intention was not to work for the people of Bengal but to play politics.

The Bengal Congress also labelled the event as “scripted.”

“In the first place, why did she go? Secondly, if she had gone and could not speak, she should have moved court or staged a sit-in. Walking out is not an option. The truth is she is wary of the rise of Rahul Gandhi and wanted to grab the headlines,” said West Bengal Congress president Adhir Chowdhury, a staunch opponent of TMC in Bengal.

CPI(M) Rajya Sabha MP Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharya questioned why Banerjee attended the meeting when chief ministers of other INDIA bloc parties chose to skip it.

"She was aware of the consequences. Her action suggests that she went to Delhi for some understanding with Narendra Modi. People will see through the pretentiousness of the entire issue," he claimed.