Mamata exits crucial meeting in New Delhi

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee abruptly left a key meeting of the Indian government's policy think-tank Niti Aayog in New Delhi today, citing being cut off after only five minutes of speaking.

Mamata criticized the meeting's fairness, noting that Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu, an ally of the BJP, was given 20 minutes to speak, while BJP-ruled states' chief ministers from Assam, Goa, and Chhattisgarh spoke for 10-12 minutes each. In contrast, she was interrupted after just five minutes. "This is unfair. I was the only representative from the opposition here. I attended the meeting because cooperative federalism needs to be strengthened," she told the media.

She also took aim at the Indian government's recent annual budget, labeling it "political and biased." Mamata suggested that NITI Aayog, which lacks financial authority, is ineffective and proposed either granting it financial powers or reinstating the former Planning Commission.

Despite a boycott by most opposition leaders from the INDIA bloc, including Congress, Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, and CPI(M), Mamata attended the meeting to express the alliance’s views on the budget.