KOLKATA: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday wrote to the Vice Chairperson of the NITI Aayog expressing her strong disapproval over the state being shown as Bihar in an official report.She condemned the error and demanded an apology from them, taking immediate corrective measures in this connection.In a post on X, Banerjee shared a copy of the letter and a screenshot of India’s map that appared on the front page of the report, in which Bihar was shown as West Bengal.”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 website, the map intended to represent the state of West Bengal has depicted the territory of Bihar in its place,” Banerjee wrote to Vice Chairperson of the NITI Aayog Suman K Bery.Describing the error as a “grave lapse” of the NITI Aayog, the CM claimed that such a blunder in an official publication of NITI Aayog reflects an “alarming lack of diligence and respect” towards the states of the Union.”This raised legitimate concerns about the rigour and reliability of the institution’s work, which policymakers and citizens alike depend upon for accurate and informed decision-making and casts significant doubt on the quality, authenticity and credibility of reports and publications of NITI Aayog,” she added.”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,” the Bengal CM said.Earlier in the day, Trinamool Congress Rajya Sabha MP Saket Gokhale took to social media to flag how the front page of the NITI Aayog report has shown Bihar as West Bengal.”It is pathetic that the Govt of India cannot even place West Bengal on a map. BJP has 12 MPs from Bengal including 2 Union Ministers. And yet, their govt shamelessly shows Bihar as Bengal on a map,” Gokhale said in the post on X.Addressing Prime Minister Narendra Modi, he said, “If you have any shame left, you must apologise to the people of Bengal. Otherwise, this insult will haunt your party for a long long time to come.The Prime Minister is the chairman of Niti Aayog.Gokhale too shared a screenshot of the map.
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