Kolkata, May 17 (IANS) With the crucial meeting of the Niti Aayog chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi scheduled for May 24, there is no indication so far on whether Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee will be present at the meeting or not.

A senior member from the state Cabinet confirmed that the Chief Minister has not given any indication within the Cabinet or within the party on whether she would be personally present at the Niti Aayog meeting, or if she would depute someone to attend the same on her behalf.

“She will inform everyone about her decision in the matter at the right moment,” the Cabinet member said while confirming that there is no pre-scheduled programme of the Chief Minister in the state on the day of the Niti Aayog meeting.

To recall, in the last meeting of the Niti Aayog on July 27 last year, there were a lot of controversies as Mamata Banerjee walked out of the meeting midway after making the accusation that her microphone was muted in the middle of her speech and hence, she could not speak for more than five minutes.

Mamata Banerjee also accused the organisers of discrimination against her on this count.

She claimed that she was allowed to speak only for five minutes, whereas representatives in the meeting who spoke before her were allowed 10 to 20 minutes to present their speeches.

However, the Union Government dismissed her allegations on the fact-check handle of the Press Information Bureau.

The PIB statement, which was issued then, claimed that Mamata Banerjee’s speaking time in that meeting was over, and even the bell was not rung to mark it.

Incidentally, Mamata Banerjee was the only Chief Minister from any non-NDA ruled state to attend the Niti Aayog meeting.

She decided to attend the meeting despite the Chief Ministers from the Opposition INDIA bloc deciding to boycott the meeting.

Because of her decision to attend the meeting, some members in the Opposition bloc also raised the point of a clandestine understanding between the BJP and Trinamool Congress.

–IANS

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