Mamata Uses NITI Aayog To Launch Herself As Leader Of Opposition Block

West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee certainly surprised the Congress by attending the NITI Aayog Governing Council meeting chaired by PM Modi on July 27. The Congress was so caught off guard by Mamata’s decision that the party could not even formally announce a boycott of its three CMs. Of course Tamil Nadu chief minister MK Stalin who eagerly follows Congress line and Kerala CM Pinarayi Viayan had taken a similar stand. Mamata seized the NITI platform to launch herself as leader of the Opposition block. She was at the NITI Aayog meeting only to be a drama queen. She stormed out of the meeting saying she was barely allowed to speak.  As per PIB Factcheck Mamata would have got a chance to speak only after lunch. It was also pointed out that Mamata as she spoke the clock showed “her speaking time was over. Even then the bell was not rung to mark it.   “…I have come out boycotting the meeting. Chandrababu Naidu was given 20 minutes to speak, CMs of Assam, Goa, Chhattisgarh spoke for 10-12 minutes.. This is unfair…I said you (central government) should not discriminate against state governments. I wanted to speak but my mic was muted. I was allowed to speak only for five minutes. I was the voice of the Opposition,” said Didi. Meanwhile, FM Nirmala Sitharaman slammed a non-present Congress leader Jairam Ramesh for charging NITI Aayog of muzzling dissenting voices like Mamata, saying she was happy that Mamata attended and was happier, when the CM said she was speaking for “Bengal and in fact for the entire opposition.” Mamata’s bold move to attend the NITI Aayog struck a chord with a section of Congress. “Our CMs should have also done it. It makes more sense to air our views than boycott,” said a Congress leader from TN. Sources say Didi was advised by her nephew Abhishek to attend the meeting and raise the Opposition voice. Mamata too has decided to lead the Opposition, steering it away from Gandhis.