'To Satisfy Her Political Ego': BJP, Congress Slam Mamata Banerjee For Skipping NITI Aayog Meet

Last Updated:May 24, 2025, 14:16 IST

Mamata Banerjee skipped the NITI Aayog's 10th Governing Council meeting, triggering criticism from the BJP and Congress over missed development opportunities.

A file photo of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee (Photo: PTI)

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee was one of those who skipped the crucial meeting of NITI Aayog at New Delhi on Saturday, thus creating a political slugfest in the state between the Trinamool Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

This was the first major meeting of the Prime Minister Narendra Modi with the chief ministers of states and lieutenant governors of Union Territories after India’s ‘Operation Sindoor’ against Pakistan.

Recalling Banerjee skipping the NITI Aayog meeting even last year, BJP’s Rajya Sabha member from West Bengal and spokesman Samik Bhattacharya said she should have attended the meeting to find out avenues on how the Bengal hurdles could be overcome.

“As it is, the financial vulnerability of West Bengal is at an alarming stage. Unemployment and migrant workers from West Bengal are the major problems. In such a situation, the Chief Minister should have attended the meeting to find out avenues on how these hurdles could be overcome by working closely with the Union government. But she chose to skip the meeting to satisfy her political ego and sacrificed the interest of the state," he said.

Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, while speaking to reporters, said, “Had she attended the meeting, the Chief Minister could have raised many issues, such as non-disbursement of central funds which are required for the development of the state."

“…the Governing Council Meeting will discuss the approach on Viksit Rajya for Viksit Bharat @2047," Niti Aayog had said in a statement earlier.

However, Trinamool Congress state vice president Jay Prakash Majumdar said, “Last year, it was proved that the Union government did not desire to listen to what our Chief Minister wanted to say, and hence her microphone was stopped amid her speech. This was an insult to the Chief Minister. Why would she attend the meeting to be insulted again?"

Also commenting on Banerjee’s absence, BJP leader Rakesh Sinha said, “It is not right to do politics when it comes to the development of people and West Bengal. After attending it for just five minutes, she (Mamata Banerjee) boycotted the meeting last time. When the entire nation is progressing, West Bengal is regressing."

To recall, in the last meeting of NITI Aayog on July 27 last year, Mamata Banerjee walked out, alleging that her microphone was muted during her speech, and therefore, she could not speak for more than five minutes.

Banerjee claimed that she was allowed to speak only for five minutes when representatives in the meeting who spoke before her were allowed 10 to 20 minutes to present their speeches.

However, the Union Government dismissed her allegations through the fact-check handle of the Press Information Bureau.

OTHERS WHO SKIPPED THE NITI AAYOG MEET

Other than Mamata Banerjee, some other southern Chief Ministers, including from NDA ruled Puducherry skipped the NITI Aayog’s Governing Council meeting in New Delhi.

Chief Ministers of Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Telangana – N Chandrababu Naidu, MK Stalin and A Revanth Reddy, were scheduled to attend the meeting and put forth their views before the council on respective issues.

While the Chief Minister of Congress-ruled Karnataka, Siddaramaiah, was busy with “prior engagement" in the state and sent his speech to be read out in the council, Marxist veteran and Kerala CM, Pinarayi Vijayan deputed his cabinet colleague KN Balagopal on his behalf.

Similarly, Puducherry Chief Minister N Rangasamy, who heads the AINRC-led NDA coalition in the union territory, also skipped the event, an official source said.

NITI Aayog’s 10th Governing Council meeting, chaired by PM Modi, has the theme ‘Viksit Rajya for Viksit Bharat@2047’.

The council, the apex body of NITI Aayog, includes all state CMs, lieutenant governors of Union Territories, and several Union ministers. Prime Minister Modi is the chairman of NITI Aayog.

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