West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee arrived in Delhi on Friday, July 26, to attend the NITI Aayog meeting and also met Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's wife Sunita at her residence. Arvind Kejriwal is in jail in connection with a money laundering case linked to the Delhi excise policy. A video of the meeting, shared by AAP, showed Mamata Banerjee touching the feet of Arvind Kejriwal's parents.
Mamata Banerjee is in Delhi to attend the NITI Aayog meeting even as most INDIA bloc chief ministers have decided to give it a miss over the Budget 2024. Mamata Banerjee said she would, too, walkout from the meeting “if needed.”
“NITI Aayog should be scrapped and Planning Commission should be brought back. Thought it's my duty to raise our voice on common platform even though I know NITI Aayog has no financial power,” Mamata Banerjee said, adding, “Will protest discriminatory budget proposals, stage walkout from NITI Aayog meeting if needed.”
The Bengal chief minister said, “This budget is absolutely 'politically biased'; they have deprived all non-NDA ruled states.”
In another post in Hindi, the AAP said, "INDIA is united against the dictatorship. West Bengal Chief Minister (@MamataOfficial) reached Delhi Chief Minister's @ArvindKejriwal residence to meet his family. Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's wife @KejriwalSunita welcomed Mamata Banerjee."
Arvind Kejriwal, who is also the AAP national convener, was arrested by ED on March 21 in a money laundering case linked to the alleged excise policy scam. The Supreme Court has granted him interim bail but he is still in jail as the CBI had arrested him in a related matter.
A day earlier, July 25, AAP Rajya Sabha MP Harbhajan Singh had met Sunita Kejriwal at her residence in New Delhi. “Met Sunita Kejriwal wife of Delhi's Hon'ble CM Arvind Kejriwal. Had a very long and fruitful discussion with Sunita ji. We all stand in solidarity with Arvindji and AAP. Jai Hind,” he posted on X.
(With agency inputs)
