The absence of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee at the 10th Governing Council meeting of the NITI Aayog in New Delhi on Saturday (May 24, 2025) drew sharp criticism from Opposition parties, particularly in light of pending central funds to the State under key schemes.
The meeting, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, was attended by several Chief Ministers, including M.K. Stalin (Tamil Nadu), Bhagwant Mann (Punjab), Revanth Reddy (Telangana), and Hemant Soren (Jharkhand). The theme of the session was Viksit Rajya for Viksit Bharat @2047, and marked the first such interaction since Operation Sindoor and the subsequent conflict with Pakistan.
Trinamool Congress (TMC) lawmaker and former Indian cricketer Yusuf Pathan on Monday withdrew his name from the all-party delegation that will visit international capitals disseminating India’s stance on Operation Sindoor across the globe. Trinamool is the only party so far to withdraw its MP from the delegation.
West Bengal unit of BJP is a divided house. Another yawning crack in it is discernible post former state chief Dilip Ghosh’s visit to the inauguration ceremony of Jagannath temple in Digha at chief minister Mamata Banerjee’s invitation.
