NEW DELHI: West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee has confirmed her participation in the upcoming NITI Aayog meeting on July 27 in Delhi, despite speculations that she might skip the event like other chief ministers from the INDIA bloc.
The West Bengal CM said that she would stick to her earlier position of attending the NITI Aayog meeting but only have her voice of protest on record.
“Hemant (Soren) and I will be present at the meeting. We will speak on behalf of the others (who won’t be present),” she said.
Speaking to reporters at the Kolkata airport before her departure, Banerjee expressed her intention to attend the meeting and voice her concerns regarding the “discriminatory budget” and the alleged “conspiracy to divide Bengal and other opposition-ruled states.”
“I will stay at the meeting for a while. If I get an opportunity to deliver my speech at the meeting and record my protest against the discrimination and political bias against the opposition-ruled states in the budget besides the conspiracy that is being hatched to divide Bengal and its neighbouring states, I will do so. Else, I will walk out of the meeting,” the chief minister said.
Mamata said that she plans to attend the meeting briefly and, if given the chance, deliver her speech to protest against the perceived discrimination and political bias towards opposition-ruled states in the budget, as well as the alleged conspiracy to divide Bengal and its neighboring states.
“All opposition-ruled states, including Bengal, have been totally deprived in this Budget. The Centre has taken a step-motherly attitude towards these states. I cannot accept such discrimination and political bias against us,” Banerjee said
INDIA bloc allies Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann, Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan, Himachal Pradesh’s CM Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu, Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah, and Telangana CM Revanth Reddy, are not attending the meeting.
The West Bengal CM said that she would stick to her earlier position of attending the NITI Aayog meeting but only have her voice of protest on record.
“Hemant (Soren) and I will be present at the meeting. We will speak on behalf of the others (who won’t be present),” she said.
Speaking to reporters at the Kolkata airport before her departure, Banerjee expressed her intention to attend the meeting and voice her concerns regarding the “discriminatory budget” and the alleged “conspiracy to divide Bengal and other opposition-ruled states.”
“I will stay at the meeting for a while. If I get an opportunity to deliver my speech at the meeting and record my protest against the discrimination and political bias against the opposition-ruled states in the budget besides the conspiracy that is being hatched to divide Bengal and its neighbouring states, I will do so. Else, I will walk out of the meeting,” the chief minister said.
Mamata said that she plans to attend the meeting briefly and, if given the chance, deliver her speech to protest against the perceived discrimination and political bias towards opposition-ruled states in the budget, as well as the alleged conspiracy to divide Bengal and its neighboring states.
“All opposition-ruled states, including Bengal, have been totally deprived in this Budget. The Centre has taken a step-motherly attitude towards these states. I cannot accept such discrimination and political bias against us,” Banerjee said
INDIA bloc allies Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann, Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan, Himachal Pradesh’s CM Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu, Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah, and Telangana CM Revanth Reddy, are not attending the meeting.