Bihar became West Bengal, Mamta accidentally enraged.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has raised strong objections to the wrong geographical identity of the state in a report of NITI Aayog on Wednesday. He wrote a letter to NITI Aayog Deputy Chairman Suman Ke Berry condemning this serious error and has demanded unconditional apology, clarification and immediate corrective action.
A map published in a summary report for the recently released West Bengal state was shown as West Bengal, which the Chief Minister has described as a direct insult on the dignity and identity of the state.
Mamta expressed protest, objection expressed by writing letters
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee wrote in the letter, “I am writing this letter with extreme concern and clear rejection. The map published by NITI Aayog and the map available on the website shows Bihar in place of West Bengal. It is not only a factual mistake, but it also shows the lack of respect for the states.”
Smt. @MamataOFFICIAL has written to @Suman_beryVice Chairperson of @NitiaayogExpressing Her Strong Disapproval Over Bengal Being Mislabelled as Bihar in their official summary report.
This is a direct affront to Bengals Identity and Dignity, Raising Serious Concerns about pic.twitter.com/zbvwwve15sn
– All India Trinamool Congress (@AItcofficial) July 9, 2025
Describing it as a serious lapse of NITI Aayog, the Chief Minister said that this mistake raises questions on the reliability and authenticity of the Commission. He placed four major demands from the Commission, official clarification on this error should be issued unconditionally, immediate corrective action should be taken in the report, and strong quality control mechanisms should be established to avoid such mistakes in future.
Mamta Banerjee’s question: “How did such a mistake happen?”
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee posted on X and raised the question, “How can there be such a serious mistake in the government documents published by one of the country’s leading plan agencies?” He stressed that it is a “worrying sign” not only for Bengal, but also for the federal system of the country.
Here Goes My Letter Today to the Vice Chairperson, Niti Aayog, New Delhi, Expressing My Unequivocal Disapproval of Their Grave Lapse in Mapping West Bengal! pic.twitter.com/4PM4TLGDRR
– Mamata Bnerjee (@MamataOFFICIAL) July 9, 2025
The entire controversy began when the Trinamool Congress Rajya Sabha MP Saket Gokhale shared the screenshot of the map of the report on social media platform ‘X’ (East Twitter), in which Bihar was depicted as Bengal. After this, party leaders and spokespersons started strong criticism of the Central Government and NITI Aayog.
TMC wrote in the post, “NITI Aayog expected policy clarity, but he kept calling the entire Bengal as Bihar in government documents. Is this your expertise?” The party called it a mentality of “disrespect and insult” towards Bengal.
“BJP’s mentality reflects”: Kunal Ghosh
Trinamool Congress spokesperson Kunal Ghosh also targeted the BJP on this issue. He said, “The BJP’s mentality to degrade Bengal is clearly visible in this map. It is not just a technical mistake, but a result of a thinking. They should immediately express regret in public and inform the Chief Minister about the steps taken to the Chief Minister.”
