Mamata rebukes Cong CMs’ last-minute NITI meet boycott

Kolkata: Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress (TMC) supremo Mamata Banerjee expressed discontent over Congress chief ministers’ last-minute boycott of NITI Aayog meeting.

Calling it a “lack of coordination” within the INDIA bloc, Banerjee stated that had she been informed earlier, she would have also withdrawn.

She emphasised that in Bengal, where there is no alliance with Congress, the TMC-led government faces continuous opposition from a joint force of Congress, CPI(M) and BJP.

“Congress, BJP and CPI(M) are united against us in the state. They have three different colours in the state. They ignore the spirit of the INDIA alliance. The alliance functions at the national level, not in Bengal. Our Parliamentary leaders have been in regular contact with Congress during the Budget session. They should have informed us about their plan to boycott. There is a coordination issue that needs to be addressed,” Banerjee remarked.

Party insiders said that the chief minister is keen to attend the meeting, unlike her INDIA bloc counterparts, because she wants to demand clearance of funds from the Centre.

Banerjee may be a part of the INDIA bloc but she has decided to carve a niche away from the Opposition alliance with her decision to attend the Niti Aayog meeting in Delhi.

Meanwhile, Congress-ruled Opposition states as well as other partners like Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Stalin and his Punjab counterpart Bhagwant Mann decided to boycott the meeting after they slammed the Centre for its biased Budget to accommodate allies JD(U) and TDP. Political experts said that the Bengal Chief Minister is trying to make a point by attending the meeting to demand funds for Bengal.