Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury Challenges Mamata Banerjee’s Mic Muting Claim at NITI Aayog Meeting

News Mania Desk/Agnibeena Ghosh/28th July 2024

Reacting strongly to Mamata Banerjee’s claim that her microphone was switched off during the NITI Aayog meeting, West Bengal Congress chief Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury accused the Chief Minister of lying. He expressed disbelief that a state’s CM would be silenced, stating, “The things that Mamata Banerjee is saying regarding the NITI Aayog meeting, I feel like she is lying. It is very surprising if a state’s CM wouldn’t be allowed to speak. Mamata Banerjee knew what would be happening there; she had the script.”

Chowdhury’s stance contrasts sharply with the Congress party’s official position, which condemned the treatment Banerjee received as unacceptable. Despite this divergence, Chowdhury remains a vocal critic of Banerjee, especially after his defeat to TMC’s Yusuf Pathan in the recent Lok Sabha elections. His criticisms have been relentless, and the Trinamool Congress (TMC) has often cited his actions as a reason for contesting elections independently, ultimately winning 29 seats in Bengal.

In a related development, Chowdhury wrote to President Droupadi Murmu, alleging that West Bengal is in an “anarchic condition” and urging her intervention to restore law and order. In his letter, he highlighted the distressing state of affairs, attributing it to the ruling party’s oppressive tactics against opposition workers, sympathizers, and supporters. “I wish to seek your kind intervention in restoring civility and law and order in public life in West Bengal. For me, at a personal level, it is not only disturbing but also deeply anguishing to see the anarchic condition in the state owing to the ruthless approach of the ruling party on the workers, sympathizers, and supporters of the opposition,” he wrote.

Chowdhury further detailed the adverse effects on those not affiliated with the ruling party, noting job losses and livelihood disruptions due to the administration’s strongarm tactics. “There are also several cases of people not affiliated to the ruling party and inclined favourably to the opposition parties in the state have lost their jobs or means of livelihood because of the strongarm tactics of ruling dispensation in the state,” he added.

Banerjee’s allegations that her mic was cut off after five minutes, while BJP-ruled state CMs received more speaking time, were promptly refuted by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman. Sitharaman dismissed Banerjee’s claims as false, asserting that every Chief Minister was given due time to speak.

The Congress party later directed its ire at NITI Aayog, accusing it of serving as a mouthpiece for Prime Minister Narendra Modi since its inception. Jairam Ramesh criticized the organization, stating, “Since it was established ten years ago, NITI Aayog has been an attached office of the PMO and has functioned as a drumbeater for the non-biological PM. Its functioning has been blatantly partisan, and it is anything but professional and independent.”

This controversy underscores the ongoing political tensions in West Bengal and the broader national landscape. As accusations and rebuttals fly, the need for transparent and fair governance remains a pressing issue, with leaders across the political spectrum calling for accountability and justice.