'Misleading': Centre Fact-Checks Mamata Banerjee After She Claims Mic Muted At Key NITI Aayog Meeting

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Saturday (27 July) alleged "political discrimination" at a key NITI Aayog meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Delhi.

Banerjee was the only Chief Minister from a non-BJP ruled state who attended the meeting, as all other INDI Alliance leaders boycotted the event.

The Trinamool Congress leader exited the meeting in protest, claiming that her microphone had been muted and she was permitted to speak for only five minutes.

"I said you (Centre) shouldn't discriminate against state governments. I wanted to speak, but my mic was muted. I was allowed to speak only for 5 minutes, while people before me spoke for 10-20 minutes," Banerjee told reporters.

"I was the only one from the opposition who was participating but still, I was not allowed to speak. This is insulting," she added, NDTV reported.

However, the Central government denied Banerjee's allegations, stating that her microphone was not muted.

"It is being claimed that the microphone of CM, West Bengal was switched off during the 9th Governing Council Meeting of NITI Aayog. This claim is Misleading. The clock only showed that her speaking time was over. Even the bell was not rung to mark it," the Press Information Bureau, under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, said in a post on X.

"Alphabetically, CM, West Bengal turn would have come after lunch. She was accommodated as the 7th speaker on an official request of the West Bengal government as she had to return early," it added.

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