– Chief Ministers from ten states, including BJP’s key ally Bihar CM Nitish Kumar, stayed away from the NITI Aayog meeting chaired by PM Modi
– West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee, the lone opposition CM at the meeting, walked out after her mic was switched off
– NITI Aayog CEO stated that there were 26 participants out of 36 states and UTs, with absentees from Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Telangana, Bihar, Delhi, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, and Puducherry
– Banerjee accused the central government of depriving Bengal of funds and stopping developmental schemes
– Opposition parties rallied behind Banerjee, criticizing NITI Aayog’s treatment and accusing the budget of favoring BJP allies
– PM Modi emphasized cooperation between States and Centre to achieve a vision of Viksit Bharat in 2047