No Bengal representative at Niti Aayog meeting on May 27

West Bengal will not have any representative at the Niti Aayog meeting in New Delhi on Saturday as the TMC government’s request to send the state Finance Minister and the Chief Secretary was “turned down” by the Centre

West Bengal will not have any representative at the Niti Aayog meeting in New Delhi on Saturday as the TMC government's request to send the state Finance Minister and the Chief Secretary was "turned down" by the Centre, which "insisted" that Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee may attend the event.

Ms. Banerjee has already decided not to attend the eighth governing council meeting of Niti Aayog.

Confirming the development, State Finance Minister Chandrima Bhattacharya told PTI, "We had requested the Centre to allow me and the Chief Secretary to attend the meeting as Mamata Banerjee is busy with some other work. In its reply, the Centre said the 'CM may attend'. This is an indirect way of not allowing anybody other than the CM to attend the meeting. Hence, there will be no representative of West Bengal at tomorrow's meeting."

"If the Chief Minister of the State is preoccupied with some other work, can't she send any Minister or official on her behalf? After all, I am the Finance Minister of the State and can represent the state. I do not understand the logic of not allowing the Finance Minister to attend the Niti Aayog meeting," she said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is also the chairman of Niti Aayog, is scheduled to chair the meeting.

The Niti Aayog's governing council comprises Chief Ministers of all states and Union Territories with legislatures, and lieutenant governors of other UTs, besides several Union Ministers.

Ms. Bhattacharya alleged that it was the Centre's "ploy" not to hear West Bengal's demands for release of its due funds.