West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee was allowed to speak her full time and the microphone was not switched off, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said on Saturday.
This comes after Banerjee walked out of a NITI Aayog meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, claiming that she was unfairly stopped midway in her speech, despite being the sole representative of the opposition.
"She spoke her full time. The screen in front of our tables kept showing the time," Sitharaman said in a post on X, formerly Twitter. "Mikes were not switched off, not for anybody, particularly, not for CM, WB. Mamata ji has chosen to spread falsehood."
Jairam, you weren't even there! We all heard Hon. CM @MamataOfficial . She spoke her full time. The screen in front of our tables kept showing the time. A few other CMs spoke beyond their allotted time. On their own request, extra time was allowed without any fuss. Mikes were not…
July 27, 2024Sitharaman was happy that the Trinamool Congress chief attended and spoke for Bengal and the entire opposition, she said.
"I may agree or disagree with what she had to say. But now with her saying baseless things outside, I can only conclude that she is making an effort to keep I.N.D.I.A alliance happy," she said.
The alleged incident sparked a row among political leaders, with Congress leader Jairam Ramesh calling it unacceptable. He said NITI Aayog was the prime minister's "drumbeater" in a post on X. The think tank muzzled all divergent and dissenting viewpoints and that its meetings were a farce, he said.
AdvertisementSitharaman's comments came in response to Ramesh's post.
Banerjee had said her microphone was switched off after five minutes, while other chief ministers were allowed to speak for longer durations. During the meeting, she mentioned that the BJP-led central government presented a politically-biased budget and asked why was it discriminating among states.
However, a post by PIB Factcheck said that this claim was misleading and that the clock showed that her speaking time was over. "Even the bell was not rung to mark it," it said.
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