Mamta will not attend NITI Aayog meeting on May 27

Kolkata (IANS) | A day after the Aam Aadmi Party’s (AAP) meeting with the chief ministers of Delhi and Punjab, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has decided not to attend the crucial NITI Aayog meeting in New Delhi on May 27. A senior member of the West Bengal cabinet said on the strict condition of anonymity, though initially he had decided to attend the NITI Aayog meeting. But now he has changed his mind and has decided not to attend the meeting. However, he also said that this decision has been taken for the time being and it may change in the coming times.

Late on Tuesday evening, Trinamool Congress leader in Rajya Sabha Derek O’Brien announced that the party would boycott the inauguration of the new Parliament building in the national capital on May 28.

Political observers believe that the decision to boycott the NITI Aayog meeting and the inauguration of the new Parliament building is motivated by Mamata Banerjee’s eagerness to keep alive her anti-BJP stance more strongly.

However, the opposition parties in the state have criticized the Chief Minister for boycotting the NITI Aayog meeting. According to Sami Bhattacharya, BJP’s state spokesperson in West Bengal, when it comes to discussing development, the chief minister always stays away from such meetings and avoids dialogue. Bhattacharya said, this time also he has done the same.

CPI(M) Central Committee member Dr. Sujan Chakraborty also objected to the Chief Minister’s decision of not attending the NITI Aayog meeting. He said, she should understand the difference between her role as the Chief Minister of a state and the leader of a particular political party. Such meetings are occasions where the Chief Minister can raise issues related to the state and hence one should not miss it.

–IANS