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Absence of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee

On Saturday, West Bengal's Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee did not attend the NITI Aayog meeting held in New Delhi. Sources indicate that there was no official statement regarding who would represent West Bengal in her absence. However, it is likely that Chief Secretary Manoj Pant will be present at the meeting. The 10th Governing Council meeting of NITI Aayog, chaired by Prime Minister Modi, is currently taking place in the national capital.

NITI Aayog had previously stated, "...the Governing Council meeting will discuss the vision for developed states for a developed India by 2047." This meeting marks the first significant gathering between the Prime Minister and the Chief Ministers of states and Union Territories since the launch of Operation Sindoor. Additionally, Puducherry's Chief Minister N. Rangasamy, leading the NDA coalition in the Union Territory, also opted not to attend the NITI Aayog meeting.

Karnataka's Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, representing the Congress party, did not attend due to a prior commitment but sent a speech to be read at the council. Similarly, Kerala's Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, a senior Marxist leader, sent his cabinet colleague K.N. Balagopal to represent him at the meeting. BJP Rajya Sabha MP Samik Bhattacharya expressed that it was "unfortunate" for the people of West Bengal that Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee chose not to participate, especially with many other state leaders present.

Bhattacharya noted that the absence from the meeting deprived the state's residents of representation, as crucial issues concerning West Bengal would not be addressed. The state government missed an opportunity to raise several significant matters important to West Bengal. Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury remarked that had she attended, the Chief Minister could have raised various issues, including the distribution of central funds necessary for the state's development.