West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee ignited a significant political controversy on Saturday by alleging that her microphone was muted during her speech at the NITI Aayog’s meeting. Banerjee claimed that chief ministers from BJP-ruled states were given more time to speak, while she was cut off after just five minutes. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman refuted these allegations, asserting that every chief minister was given equal time.
Mamata Banerjee accused the government of political bias, noting that Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister and BJP ally Chandrababu Naidu was allowed to speak for 20 minutes. “I boycotted the meeting because I was cut off after just five minutes, while BJP allies were given much longer. This is unfair,” Banerjee stated. She emphasized the importance of cooperative federalism and criticized the government for discriminating against non-BJP states in the Union Budget. Banerjee found it insulting that her mic was allegedly muted.
Sitharaman countered Banerjee’s claims, stating that each chief minister had their allocated time displayed on a screen. “Mamata Banerjee’s claim that her mic was turned off is completely false. She did not request additional time as other CMs did,” Sitharaman explained. She suggested that Banerjee used the timing issue as an excuse to leave the meeting.
The Press Information Bureau (PIB) conducted a fact-check and debunked Banerjee’s allegations, clarifying that only the clock indicated her speaking time was over, and her mic was not muted. The PIB also noted that Banerjee was accommodated as the seventh speaker upon her official request, even though her turn would have been after lunch.
B.V.R. Subrahmanyam, CEO of NITI Aayog, corroborated this, stating that Banerjee’s points were heard respectfully. “Every chief minister is allotted seven minutes, and a timer is displayed. Banerjee chose not to speak beyond her allotted time,” Subrahmanyam said, adding that Banerjee’s Chief Secretary continued to attend the meeting after she left.
The BJP alleged that Banerjee’s walkout was premeditated. BJP General Secretary (Organisation) B.L. Santhosh and IT Department Head Amit Malviya accused her of using theatrics to gain media attention. “It is sad to see a Chief Minister reduce serious governance issues to theatrics,” Malviya said.
The Congress, however, deemed the treatment of Mamata Banerjee “unacceptable” and criticized the NITI Aayog’s functioning. Congress leader Jairam Ramesh accused the government think-tank of being “blatantly partisan” and muzzling dissenting viewpoints.
