Mamata Banerjee’s walkout was premeditated: BJP

PTI, Jul 27, 2024, 4:48 PM IST

The BJP took a swipe at West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for walking out of a NITI Aayog meeting here on Saturday, and said it was premeditated and aimed at grabbing headlines.
BJP general secretary (organisation) B L Santhosh said, “It is very easy to grab headlines in our country. First, tell I am the only ‘Opposition CM’ attending Niti Aayog meeting. Come out & tell ‘I boycotted since mic was switched off’. Now whole day TVs will display the same. No work. No discussion. That’s Didi to you.”
Banerjee walked out of the meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, claiming that she was unfairly stopped midway in her speech, despite being the sole representative of the opposition.
The government, however, rejected her claim and said her speaking time was over.
The BJP’s IT department head Amit Malviya alleged that Banerjee’s walkout from the meeting was premeditated and for the cameras.
In a post on ‘X’, he said: “It is sad to see a Chief Minister reduce serious issues of governance to theatrics. People of West Bengal are suffering as a consequence of her confrontational politics.”
Malviya also posted a journalist’s comments prior to the meeting that there is a view that chief ministers like Banerjee and Hemant Soren, both from the opposition camp, may walk out.