Mamata seeks Niti Aayog's apology on misrepresented West Bengal map

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West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday wrote to Niti Aayog vice-chairman Suman Bery, seeking an apology from the institution after alleging that a report by the Centre’s official policy think tank misrepresented the map of West Bengal.

 

She said that the report titled “Summary Report for the State of West Bengal”, available on the Niti Aayog website, depicted the territory of Bihar as that of West Bengal.

 

“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 West Bengal. Such a blunder in an official publication reflects an alarming lack of diligence and respect towards the states of the Union,” Banerjee wrote in her letter. 

 

The West Bengal CM said that the issue raised legitimate concerns about the rigor and reliability of Niti Aayog’s work. 

 

“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 the future,” she wrote. Banerjee said that the error casts doubt on the reliability of reports and publications on the Aayog.

 

As on Wednesday evening, the web link cited by Banerjee did not show any such available report. Queries sent to Niti Aayog on the issue remained unanswered at the time of publishing this report.