In the aftermath of the drubbing the TMC got in the recently concluded Lok Sabha election at the hands of the Bharatiya Janata Party, Mamata Banerjee refuses to attend the Niti Aayog meeting scheduled on June 15 calling it ‘fruitless’

In a letter addressed to PM Modi, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee announced that she will not attend the Niti Aayog meeting scheduled on June 15, “Given the fact that the Niti Ayog has no financial powers and the power to support State Plans, it is fruitless for me to attend the meeting of a body that is bereft of any financial powers.”

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Benerjee writes to Prime Minister Narendra Modi stating ‘given that the NITI Aaayog has no financial powers and the power to support state plans it is fruitless for me to attend the meeting (June 15).’ pic.twitter.com/TuQKfx5FaX — ANI (@ANI) June 7, 2019

Mamata Banerjee has been ostracizing Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the longest time now and the recent Lok Sabha debacle, where she faced severe embarrassment as Modi led BJP glided into her home turf, has only taken the spite a notch higher.

Recently, the Chief Minister of West Bengal had also chosen to skip the Prime Minister’s swearing-in ceremony after family members of BJP workers killed in Bengal violence were invited.

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Meanwhile, PM Modi is scheduled to chair the fifth meeting of NITI Aayog’s Governing Council on June 15 to discuss various issues concerning water management, agriculture and security.

Recently, Modi had approved the reconstitution of the governing council of the policy think tank, NITI Aayog, prior to the first meeting after Modi government won a second term last month.

This is, however, not the first time the West Bengal CM has chosen to stay away from the meeting. Last year, Mamata Banerjee did not attend the meeting which was chaired by PM Modi on 16th June 2018 because it was scheduled on Eid-ul-Fitr. She had then said that all festivals are important for her and she does not leave her people on festivals.

Earlier in April 2017, Banerjee and her Delhi counterpart Arvind Kejriwal had skipped the NITI Aayog’s Governing Council meeting. Similarly, in 2015 she skipped the meeting when NITI Aayog’s Governing Council met to discuss various issues including Land Bill.