Bengal CM Mamata skips NITI Aayog meet in Delhi, TMC silent on her absence

Kolkata, May 24 (PTI) West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Saturday skipped the NITI Aayog’s Governing Council meeting in New Delhi, sources in the state secretariat said.

The reason for Banerjee’s absence remains undisclosed, they added.

Addressing the meeting, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that global investors are hugely interested in India and the states should utilise this opportunity to attract investments by removing policy bottlenecks, as he stressed that if the Union government and states work together like Team India, no goal is impossible.

It was also the first major interaction between the PM and the CMs following Operation Sindoor.

Till Saturday evening, there was no official confirmation on whether the West Bengal government was represented at the meeting.

Trinamool Congress (TMC) spokesperson Kunal Ghosh declined to comment on the state’s participation.

"This is completely a matter of the state government. We will not comment on this. When the CM or the state government feel like issuing a statement on this, they will come out with it," Ghosh said.

He, along with party leader Shashi Panja, sharply criticised the Union government for withholding funds allegedly owed to the state.

On Modi’s call for cooperative federalism and his emphasis on the Centre and states working together as 'Team India' to attract global investors, Ghosh remarked, "He should not be talking about working hand in hand. If that was the case, then why are they not releasing the money, which is long due to the Bengal government? You are taking away from Bengal in the form of tax and not giving the state back its due." PTI SCH BDC MNB