Prime Minister Narendra Modi chaired the ninth Governing Council meeting of Niti Aayog on Saturday, focusing on various development issues and policy matters. While many Opposition chief ministers opted out, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, a key member of the INDIA bloc, attended the session.

After the meeting, Banerjee claimed she wasn't allowed to speak and criticized the Union Budget as "politically biased." Niti Aayog, the central government's top public policy think tank, includes the PM as Chairman, Chief Ministers from all states, Lieutenant Governors of Union Territories, and several Union ministers.

Sources indicated that BJP-ruled state CMs were instructed to highlight their administrations' key achievements in presentations to PM Modi. They were also asked to discuss their performing and non-performing departments and schemes.

Opposition CMs who boycotted the meeting included Tamil Nadu's MK Stalin, Puducherry's N Rangasamy, Kerala's Pinarayi Vijayan, Punjab's Bhagwant Mann, and three Congress CMs: Siddaramaiah of Karnataka, Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu of Himachal Pradesh, and Revanth Reddy of Telangana. Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar also skipped the meeting, sending Deputy CMs Samrat Choudhary and Vijay Kumar Sinha in his place. The reason for Kumar's absence was not immediately clear, though sources suggested that Puducherry's budget proposal approval by the Centre rendered CM Rangasamy's attendance unnecessary.

On Friday, Banerjee called for the dissolution of Niti Aayog, advocating for the restoration of the Planning Commission. Speaking with journalists in Delhi, she criticized the BJP as a "tukde-tukde platform" and vowed to prevent any division of West Bengal.

Addressing concerns about neighboring Bangladesh, Banerjee noted her state’s obligation to provide refuge if needed, as per UN conventions, while respecting Bangladesh's sovereignty. Despite most INDIA bloc CMs boycotting the Niti Aayog meeting, Banerjee emphasized the importance of raising their voices on a common platform.

"The BJP may be in power, but they lack the people's mandate. This is the first time since the BJP took office in 2014 that they have not formed the government as a single party," remarked Banerjee, leader of the Trinamool Congress, a significant member of the INDIA bloc.