Mamata Banerjee's absence from NITI Aayog meet draws flak from Opposition
The absence of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee at the 10th Governing Council meeting of the NITI Aayog in New Delhi on Saturday (May 24, 2025) drew sharp criticism from Opposition parties, particularly in light of pending central funds to the State under key schemes.
The meeting, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, was attended by several Chief Ministers, including M.K. Stalin (Tamil Nadu), Bhagwant Mann (Punjab), Revanth Reddy (Telangana), and Hemant Soren (Jharkhand). The theme of the session was Viksit Rajya for Viksit Bharat @2047, and marked the first such interaction since Operation Sindoor and the subsequent conflict with Pakistan.
Ms. Banerjee had previously walked out of a NITI Aayog meeting in July 2024, alleging that she had been denied an opportunity to speak. Following that incident, she had announced her decision to abstain from future meetings of the policy think tank.
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Reacting to her absence, BJP Rajya Sabha MP and party spokesperson Samik Bhattacharya termed it 'unfortunate' and said that the Chief Minister had prioritised her 'political ego' over the interests of the State.
'The financial vulnerability of West Bengal is at an alarming stage. Unemployment and migrant labour from the State are major concerns. The Chief Minister should have used this platform to seek solutions in collaboration with the Centre,' Mr. Bhattacharya said. 'Instead, she missed a crucial opportunity to present West Bengal's pressing concerns.'
Congress leader and former State unit president Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury echoed the sentiment. 'She complains about funds not being disbursed to the State. She should have raised the issue at the meeting. If the Centre did not concede, she could have staged a protest there itself,' he said.
In defence of the Chief Minister's decision, Trinamool Congress vice-president Jay Prakash Majumdar said the CM had no reason to attend a forum where she was not allowed to speak.
'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 switched off mid-speech. This was an insult. Why would she attend only to face such indignity again?' Mr. Majumdar said.
On the same day, political sparring continued over the issue of stalled funds to West Bengal. The BJP's West Bengal unit claimed on social media that ₹41,883 crore had been disbursed to the State under the Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana. The Trinamool Congress, however, issued a pointed rebuttal, stating, 'This is an OPEN CHALLENGE to @BJP4India: Release WHITE PAPER on fund allocation to Bengal under Awas Yojana post your humiliating defeat in the 2021 Assembly Elections. Let the facts do the talking.'
The State continues to claim that disbursement under schemes such as MGNREGA and PMAY has been halted by the Centre.
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