Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. (File image)
Mamata Banerjee claimed that her microphone was deliberately switched off when she started talking about state fund allocation.
Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has lambasted West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for alleging that the latter's microphone was switched off during the NITI Aayog meeting in New Delhi. She said it was unfortunate that the chief minister was being framed by false narratives. She urged that Banerjee should tell the truth behind it instead of once again building a narrative based on lies.
“CM Mamata Banerjee attended the Niti Aayog meeting. We all heard her voice. Every CM was given an allotted time and it was displayed on the screen in front of each table… She said in the media that her microphone was turned off . That is totally wrong. Every CM has a proper time to speak… Unfortunately, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee claims that her microphone is off, which is not true… She should tell the truth behind this and not base it on lies again,” news agency ANI quoted Sitharaman as saying.
#watch | Regarding the allegations against West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said: “Chief Mamata Banerjee attended the Niti Aayog meeting. We all heard her sound. Each CM is given a designated time and displayed on the screen that appeared previously… pic.twitter.com/IxnO4NXj8l— ANI (@ANI) July 27, 2024
Her remarks came after Banerjee claimed that her microphone was deliberately switched off when she started talking about the allocation of state funds. She then walked out of the ongoing meeting.
“…I was talking and my microphone stopped. I said why are you stopping me, why are you discriminating against me. I am attending this meeting and you should be happy and not give more to your party and government space. I am the only one in the opposition and you are preventing me from speaking… This is an insult not just to Bengal but to all regional parties…” she claimed.
#watch | Delhi: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said: “…I was speaking and my microphone was stopped. I said why are you stopping me, why are you discriminating against me. I was attending You should be happy with this meeting, not give more space to your party and government. Only I am… pic.twitter.com/53U8vuPDpZ— ANI (@ANI) July 27, 2024
However, the government said in a statement that the chief minister's statement that her microphone was switched off was misleading. “It is correct to claim that the West Bengal CM's microphone was switched off during the meeting. The clock only showed that her speaking time was over. Not even the doorbell rang to mark it. Alphabetically, it was her turn after lunch. Should She was made the seventh speaker at the formal request of the West Bengal government as she had to return early.
