Bengal minister moves spl notice in Assembly on Mamata's alleged humiliation in Niti Aayog meeting

Kolkata: West Bengal Minister Manas Bhunia on Monday moved a special notice in the Assembly stating it was a matter of serious concern that Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's microphone was "switched off" in the Niti Aayog meeting in New Delhi on July 27 when she was speaking on behalf of the state.

Banerjee on Saturday claimed that she was humiliated as she was not allowed to speak at the NITI Aayog meeting in New Delhi.

The West Bengal CM had alleged that her microphone was switched off within five minutes into her speech for which she staged a walkout.

Moving the special notice, Bhunia said it was against the spirit of cooperative federalism which has now relegated to switching off the microphone.

Bhunia said that the House expressed its anguish over the treatment meted out to the chief minister during the course of the Niti Aayog meeting.

Trinamool Congress (TMC) legislators condemned the alleged humiliation faced by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in the Niti Aayog meeting on July 27.

BJP legislator Shankar Ghosh, opposing the notice, said that whatever Banerjee had said to reporters after coming out of the meeting cannot be officially discussed in the assembly. He said whatever Banerjee said that was not official as she spoke outside the official meeting of Niti Aayog.

Later, the BJP legislators staged a walkout from the assembly.

Earlier, Speaker Biman Banerjee had suspended the question hour session of the assembly to facilitate discussion on the special notice.