Kolkata: West Bengal Government Upset as Center Denies Request for Mamata Banerjee's Representative at Niti Aayog Meeting. The West Bengal government is displeased with the central government after their request to send a representative of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to the Niti Aayog meeting in the national capital on May 27 was turned down.
State Finance Minister Chandrima Bhattacharya, in a conversation with the Free Press Journal, stated that there will be no representatives from Bengal at the meeting.
CM had initially stated that she would attend the Niti Aayog meet
"Some people keep complaining that we don't provide proper accounts of the money sent by the central government. In the Niti Aayog meeting, I would have taken the necessary documents to address all their queries," said Chandrima.
It should be noted that although Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee initially stated that she would attend the Niti Aayog meeting, the names of State Finance Minister Chandrima Bhattacharya and Chief Secretary Hari Krishna Diwedi were later sent according to sources from the state secretariat, Nabanna.
"I don't understand the logic of the central government. The Chief Minister has other commitments preventing her attendance. What is wrong if a state minister or other officials attend on her behalf? It seems like a deliberate attempt to deprive West Bengal and ignore its demands. Despite our readiness to provide details and attend, the center is not cooperating. Our CM has been very vocal on this issue for a long time," added the state finance minister.
Recall that in March, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee staged a two-day dharna to protest against the alleged "step-motherly" attitude of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led central government.
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