Tamil Nadu chief minister MK Stalin on Saturday expressed his support for West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee following her claim that she was stopped midway in her speech at the Niti Aayog meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
"Is this #Cooperative Federalism?" Stalin questioned.
“Is this the way to treat a Chief Minister? The Union BJP government must understand that opposition parties are an integral part of our democracy and should not be treated as enemies to be silenced. Cooperative Federalism requires dialogue and respect for all voices,” the DMK leader posted on X.
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Banerjee said that her microphone was cut off after five minutes, while other chief ministers were allowed to speak for considerably longer durations.
“This is insulting. I will not attend any further meeting,” the Trinamool Congress (TMC) supremo told reporters after storming out of the meeting.
"I have come out boycotting the meeting. (Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister) Chandrababu Naidu was given 20 minutes to speak. The chief ministers of Assam, Goa, Chhattisgarh spoke for 10-12 minutes. I was stopped from speaking after just five minutes," she said.
{{/usCountry}}"I have come out boycotting the meeting. (Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister) Chandrababu Naidu was given 20 minutes to speak. The chief ministers of Assam, Goa, Chhattisgarh spoke for 10-12 minutes. I was stopped from speaking after just five minutes," she said.
{{/usCountry}}"This is unfair. From the opposition side, only I am representing here. I attended this meeting because of the greater interest that cooperative federalism should be strengthened," she added.
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Banerjee said she mentioned during the meeting that the government presented a politically-biased budget and asked why the Centre was discriminating among states.
Chief ministers of states ruled by the opposition INDIA bloc leaders, except Banerjee, had boycotted the NITI Aayog meeting alleging that the states were discriminated against in the Union budget.
Earlier in the day, Stalin attacked the BJP over the Union Budget and said that the budget seems like a "vengeful act" against the states and the people who boycotted the BJP. He released a video in which he said the Union Government continued to engage in actions that were contrary to "progressive thoughts."