Mamata Banerjee’s mike-off charge ‘completely false’: FM Sitharaman

Bengaluru: Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Sunday dismissed West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s allegation of her mike being muted during a NITI Aayog meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, as “completely false”.

Answering a question posed by media in this regard in Bengaluru, Sitharaman stated, “It was good that West Bengal CM came and voiced her view. She said she is talking on behalf of all opposition which is also very well. For the allotted time, we heard her. If she wanted more time, like other CMs, she would have got it.”

“But, she went outside and said ‘my mike was put off and I walked out of the meeting’ which was wrong. It is completely false. CM from Karnataka and the opposition didn’t attend it. It’s sad. They always say our voice is not heard. This was the forum to come and speak. To an extent Mamata Banerjee Ji was right. She came but afterwards, she said something different,” the Finance Minister stated. “I wished all opposition leaders would have come and voiced their opinion,” she underlined.

On objections raised by Karnataka Congress leaders to the ED action, she stated, “If ED goes and finds black money, can we say the Congress will get unhappy, don’t do it. That’s what they did when they were in rule. Not allowed CBI to take action as their ministers would become targets. Actually, wherever they are going to search, they come with wall-level cash and a suitcase full of gold. Black money has to be searched and brought out.”

When asked if her budget was a copy of Congress manifesto, she said, “Congress can never come up with a well thought out plan. It always believes in tokenism. Throw money and finish it off. How can we copy a poorly made scheme from them?”