Jaya walks out in a huffNew Delhi: The 57th National Development Council (NDC) courted controversy, when Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa was cut short with a bell during her speech.
When she was stopped from delivering her speech in full owing to time cap of ten minutes, the miffed Chief Minister walked out of the meeting, and subsequently cut her trip to the nation's capital short.
She left in a huff saying she was insulted since it is impossible to express everything in ten minutes in the interest of her state and the country at large.
"I had barely began my speech when I was told that my ten minutes are up as a bell rang. This is utter humiliation of a Chief Minister who has come all the way to Delhi," said Jayalalithaa.
"It is impossible to convey the news in ten minutes," said Jayalalithaa.
"There have been many occasions before when chief ministers who support the central government have been allowed to speak," said Jayalalithaa.
Jayalalithaa said the voices of the chief ministers are being stifled by the centre. She charged that non-Congress states were being discriminated.
Jayalalithaa's own speech was full of criticism of the central government for its "undemocratic" approach to the state.
She flayed the centre saying it was indifferent to reducing poverty and was busy conspiring against the common man to facilitate foreign investors.
She said the central government is caught in the daily squabbles of its constituents, merely trying to survive from day to day, and has neither the time nor the inclination to pay attention to the problems of the people of this country.
Image: Sharad Pawar with Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa during the 57th National Development Council (NDC) meeting in New Delhi on Thursday.
Text/Images: Agencies
