Bihar becomes Bengal in NITI Aayog map; Mamata dubs it 'grave lapse', demands apology, immediate correction

Kolkata: Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday wrote a strongly-worded letter to the NITI Aayog vice-chairman Suman Bery for incorrectly labelling Bihar as Bengal in a map used as the cover page for the panel’s summary report meant for the state.

Raising concerns about the credibility of the institution, the Chief Minister in her letter sought an apology for this “grave lapse”.

Calling the error “an affront to the identity and dignity of West Bengal,” Banerjee wrote: “I am writing with deep concern and unequivocal disapproval that in the ‘Summary Report for the State of West Bengal,’ published by NITI Aayog and available on its official website, the map intended to represent the state of West Bengal has depicted the territory of Bihar in its place.”

Calling it more than a technical oversight, Banerjee stated: “Such a grave lapse in an official document of a premier national institution is not mere a technical error… Such a blunder in an official publication of NITI Aayog, reflects an alarming lack of diligence and respect towards the States of the Union.”

The Bengal Chief Minister also put out a copy of her letter on X along with the cover page of the erroneous report.

Banerjee also raised concerns about the credibility of the institution.

“This raises legitimate concerns about the rigor and reliability of the institution's work, which policymakers and citizens alike depend upon,” she wrote.

Demanding an apology for the incident, she said: “The Government of West Bengal strongly condemns this inaccuracy and calls upon NITI Aayog to issue a clarification and apology, rectify the document, and institute mechanisms to prevent such lapses in future.”

She also pointed out that mistakes were committed in the past also. The Niti Aayog had come under fire in 2020 for allegedly relying too heavily on assumptions during its Covid-19 response planning.

The ruling party in Bengal, Trinamool Congress (TMC) launched an attack on the Central government's NITI Aayog over its “deliberate insult” of West Bengal. The controversy erupted over the "Summary Report for the State of West Bengal," where the NITI Aayog used the Bihar map in place of West Bengal, sending shockwaves across the state and hurting the sentiments of every Bengali.

“The latest attack on Bengal once again reveals how the BJP-led central government shows little regard for Bengal's identity and dignity at every single step. Trinamool Congress leaders unmasked the Central government's negligence, pointing to their consistent pattern of insulting West Bengal for political gains,” TMC alleged.

Taking to X, AITC posted: "Trust the country's apex policy think tank to confuse Bengal with Bihar in an official state summary. First, they muted Smt. @MamataOfficial's mic. Now, they've mislabelled the entire state. When basic facts go missing, how much faith can one place in their 'policy expertise'?"

TMC Rajya Sabha MP Saket Gokhale slammed the Centre for deliberately disrespecting Bengal and using state institutions to push a political agenda. During the 9th Governing Council Meeting in July 2024, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's microphone was allegedly muted mid-speech as she raised critical issues related to central funding and federal fairness.

TMC’s IT Cell Chief and party spokesperson Debangshu Bhattacharya elaborated how this is not a singular problem but a part of a larger conspiracy to wipe out Bengal's contributions.

“The objective of the BJP has always been to turn Bengal into UP, Bihar, Rajasthan or MP. To transform Bengal into these other states, to destroy the culture and heritage of Bengal,” Bhattacharya added.