New Delhi. Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Saturday slammed Congress leader Jairam Ramesh for his comments on the social media platform ‘X’ about the Niti Aayog meeting. Ramesh had termed West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s alleged behavior as “unacceptable” at the NITI Aayog Governing Council meeting here on July 27.
Ramesh wrote that it has not contributed in any way to the development of cooperative federalism. “His work has been clearly unbiased and professional and independent.”
The Congress leader alleged, “It (Niti Aayog) suppresses all different and dissenting points of view, which is the essence of open democracy. Its rallies are a farce. Its treatment of the West Bengal Chief Minister today, though the Niti Aayog According to is unacceptable.
Responding to this, Finance Minister Seetha Raman said that Jairam Ramesh was not present in the meeting. He clarified that Mamata Banerjee spoke for the full seven minutes allotted to each Chief Minister. He also said that some chief ministers were given extra time on their request, and none had any complaints.
The finance minister wrote on Twitter, “Jay Ram, you were not there at all! We all listened to Honorable Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. He kept his word throughout. The time was being displayed on the screen in front of our table. He further wrote, “Some other Chief Ministers spoke beyond their allotted time. Additional time was granted without fanfare upon his request. “The mics have not been turned off, not for anyone, especially not for the Chief Minister of West Bengal.”
The finance minister also accused Mamata Banerjee of spreading false information about Mike. He said that no one’s microphone was ever turned off. He said that Mamata Banerjee’s claim is only an attempt to please the ‘India’ block. Earlier in the day, Banerjee had claimed that she was not given enough time to speak during the Niti Aayog meeting and her mic was switched off.
Tags: Jairam Ramesh, Mamata Banerjee, Nirmala Sitharaman, Niti Aayog
First Publication: July 27, 2024, 10:32 PM IST
