"The way they insulted a CM is beyond limit": Congress MP Manickam Tagore

New Delhi [India], July 28 (ANI): Congress MP Manickam Tagore said that the culture of switching off the microphones of opposition leaders in Parliament has now been extended to NITI Aayog meeting.
Manickam Tagore's statement comes after West bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee claimed that her mic was muted when she was speaking on behalf of the Opposition.
"It is very unfortunate; the way they insulted a CM is beyond limit. Switch off the microphones of opposition leaders in Parliament; now it has gone to NITI Aayog, where the microphones of CMs are being switched off. They (the BJP government) think that when the microphone is switched off, everybody will become silent but people in India are watching," Manickam Tagore said while speaking to ANI on Sunday.
Shiv Sena (UBT) Sanjay Raut said that the Chief Minister was "insulted" and added that it doesn't suit democracy.
"The way the budget is made, NITI Aayog works accordingly. Only BJP-ruled states are being given money and schemes. That's why Stalin (Tamil Nadu CM), Telangana and Himachal Pradesh CMs boycotted the meeting. Mamata Banerjee attended the meeting but she was not allowed to speak. The West Bengal CM was insulted, her microphone was switched off, this doesn't suit democracy," Sanjay Raut said.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin criticised the BJP-led Central government and Stalin emphasised that cooperative federalism requires dialogue and respect for all voices.
"Is this the way to treat a Chief Minister? The Union BJP government must understand that opposition parties are an integral part of our democracy and should not be treated as enemies to be silenced. Cooperative federalism requires dialogue and respect for all voices," Stalin said in a post on X.
Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman rejected Banerjee's claim and said that every chief minister was "allotted due time to speak."
After leaving the NITI Aayog meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi midway, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee accused the Centre of "insulting Bengal" by interrupting her speech after five minutes, claiming it was a deliberate attempt to "malign the opposition."
"I said whatever I could in the 3 to 4 minutes that I got. In the entire country, the way in which all the opposition-ruled states have been neglected and BJP-ruled states and their alliance members have been favoured, we don't have any objection if any state is given more money but this is not acceptable that someone will get and someone will not get at all," Banerjee said accusing the Centre of favouring BJP-ruled states with privileges and packages. (ANI)