New Delhi, Jul 25 (PTI) BJP leaders Thursday slammed INDIA bloc chief ministers for announcing to boycott the July 27 NITI Aayog meeting over alleged bias against their states in the Union Budget, and dismissed their allegations as a sign of frustration.
The chief ministers of three Congress-ruled states — Karnataka’s Siddaramaiah, Himachal Pradesh’s Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu and Telangana’s Revanth Reddy) — have announced they will not attend the NITI Aayog meeting.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and DMK leader M K Stalin, Kerala’s CM and CPI(M) leader Pinnarayi Vijayan as well as Aam Aadmi Party-led Punjab and Delhi governments have also announced to boycott the meeting.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who was scheduled to arrive in Delhi on Thursday to attend the meeting, cancelled her plan. It was not clear if she would be attending the meeting on Saturday.
Slamming the opposition parties over the decision, BJP MP Dinesh Sharma said the they are “frustrated”.
“The Opposition is frustrated, they don’t have any issues. They just spread rumours, and generate narratives based on rumours. They were misleading people on reservation. Then, they started talking about NEET, and colluded with international educational institutions to defame Indian educational institutions. After the SC verdict (on the NEET issue), their mouths were shut,” said Sharma.
“They are now talking about the NITI Aayog. Budget, they don’t discuss it in the Parliament because they know that it is a comprehensive budget. They just shout slogans outside,” he said.
BJP leader Rajiv Pratap Rudy also slammed opposition parties. “The NITI Aayog is a neutral platform. It is not a part of the Budget. If the NITI Aayog is calling for a consultation, everyone should participate. If someone wants to avoid it due to political reasons, I have no comments to make,” Rudy said.
Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MP Sanjay Singh, meanwhile, said neither Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann nor any representative from the Delhi government would attend the meet.
“There are no provisions for opposition-ruled states in the budget, so what is the meaning of this NITI Aayog meeting? That is why opposition-ruled states have decided to boycott the meeting,” Singh said.
“Delhi and Punjab have especially been ignored. That is why CM Bhagwant Mann, and Delhi Finance Minister, who could have represented Delhi chief minister, are also boycotting,” he said.
Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) MP Mahua Maji said her party will take a decision based on the interests of the state. The JMM is a INDIA bloc constituent.
“Nothing has been declared officially. Discussions are going on. Most people of INDIA bloc are not going. We will take a decision based on the interests of the state,” she said.
Biju Janata Dal (BJD) MP Sasmit Patra supported the decision taken by opposition parties, and accused the Centre of denying states their share in the Budget. Patra, whose party has joined the opposition ranks in Rajya Sabha even as it is not a part of the INDIA bloc, said, “India is a federal country, if you say the union government can run the country as per their own wishes and states will have no say, it is anti-federal.” “The way opposition parties, whether DMK, Congress, or others, are not attending the NITI Aayog meeting, it is the right step. If such unilateral actions (on the part of the ruling dispensation) continue, states will have no voice,” he said.
“State governments also have some responsibility, if the Centre is denying their demands, it is unfortunate. Budget is important for regional aspirations. If all states are recognised in the Budget, they have a presence in the Budget, the states also feel something has been done,” he said. “We are not opposing Andhra Pradesh and Bihar getting packages, other states should also get their due,” Patra added.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will chair the NITI Aayog’s ninth Governing Council meeting on July 27, which will discuss the ‘Vikshit Bharat@2047’ document to make India a developed nation. PTI AO AO TIR TIR
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