Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday shot an angry missive to the Niti Aayog, the apex public policy think tank of the Narendra Modi government, placing on record her stern objection to Bihar being shown as Bengal on the India map on one of its
official reports.
The Bengal chief minister saw in the gaffe an “affront to the identity and integrity” of the state, besides an “alarming lack of diligence and respect” towards Indian states on the Centre’s part.
“I am writing with deep concern and unequivocal disapproval that in the “Summary Report for the State of West Bengal”, published by Niti Aayog and available on its official website… the map intended to represent the state of West Bengal has depicted the territory of Bihar in its place,” Mamata wrote in a letter to Niti Aayog vice-chairperson Suman Bery.
Trinamool seemed unwilling to miss out on an opportunity to corner the BJP over its allegedly anti-Bengal mindset and disregard for cooperative federalism — both leitmotifs in all of Mamata’s recent electoral campaigns.
Besides, since the abolition by the Modi government of the Planning Commission — envisaged by then Congress president Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose and announced in the historic Haripura session of 1938 — and formation of the Niti Aayog, Mamata has been among the foremost, fiercest critics of the body and its functioning over the past decade, often giving it a miss.
Earlier in the day, a number of Trinamool leaders took to social and mainstream media, demanding a formal apology from none other than Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is the chairperson of the body, over the error.
Sharing the letter on X, Mamata posted a picture of the report’s cover with the erroneous map.
“Such a grave lapse in an official document of a premier national institution is not merely a technical error but an affront to the identity and dignity of the state of West Bengal,” the chief minister and Trinamool chairperson wrote.
“Such a blunder in an official publication of Niti Aayog reflects an alarming lack of diligence and respect towards the states of the Union,” Mamata added.
In her letter, Mamata also wrote that the lapse raised legitimate concerns about the rigour and reliability of the Niti Aayog’s work, which policymakers and citizens alike depend on for accurate and informed decision-making.
She said the mistake cast significant doubt on the quality, authenticity and credibility of reports and publications of the nodal agency originally tasked with catalysing economic development and fostering cooperative federalism.
“The government of West Bengal strongly condemns this inaccuracy and calls upon Niti Aayog to issue a clarification and apology and take immediate corrective action to rectify the document and to institute robust mechanisms to prevent such lapses in future,” Mamata added.
Sources in Trinamool said that the saffron regime had served Mamata yet another opportunity on a platter to take it to task over its alleged lack of understanding of and prejudice against the “unconquerable” state that the BJP has been wanting to win ever since it became the main Opposition force.
“While we do understand that this was not deliberately done and had to be a simple case of careless oversight, sans malice, even that is a major point. How can a Niti Aayog publication on a state be published without the most basic checks? The mistake on this map would be corrected by schoolchildren if shown to them,” said a Trinamool MP. “This (mistake) only helps strengthen her arguments regarding the BJP being anti-Bengal and bent on bulldozing the federal structure."