Mamata Banerjee not to participate in Niti Aayog meeting on May 27

Kolkata, May 24 (IANS) A day after holding a meeting with two Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) chief ministers from Delhi and Punjab, West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee has decided not to attend the crucial meeting of Niti Aayog in New Delhi on May 27.

"Although initially she decided to attend the Niti Aayog meeting, now she has thought otherwise and has decided to skip the meeting," a senior member of the West Bengal cabinet said on strict condition of anonymity. However, he added that the decision is as of now and might be subject to change in due course.

Late Tuesday evening, Trinamool Congress's leader in the Rajya Sabha Derek O'Brien announced that the party will boycott the inauguration of the new Parliament building in the national capital on May 28.

Political observers feel that the decision to boycott the Niti Aayog meeting and inauguration of the new Parliament building has been prompted by Mamata Banerjee's eagerness to keep her anti-BJP and anti-Centre stand alive more forcefully.

Opposition parties in the state, however, have criticised the chief minister for her stand on boycotting the Niti Aayog meeting. According to the state BJP spokesman in West Bengal Sami Bhattacharya, when it comes to the issue of discussion on development, the chief minister always skips such meetings and avoids dialogues. "This time she has done the same thing," Bhattacharya said.

CPI(M) central committee member, Dr Sujan Chakraborty too objected to the decision of the chief minister to avoid the Niti Aayog meeting. "She must understand the difference between her role as the chief minister of a state and that of the leader of a particular political party. Such meetings are occasions where the chief ministers can raise state- related issues and hence should not be skipped by anyone," he added.