New Delhi, 27 May: Today’s The National Institution for Transforming India (NITI) Aayog Council meeting in Delhi, presided over by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, had been skipped or boycotted by eight Chief Ministers. Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot has claimed health reasons for his absence, while Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has not stated a reason for his absence.
Arvind Kejriwal wrote to the Prime Minister on Friday, announcing his cancellation of the conference in protest of the Centre’s latest law, and accusing the country of turning cooperative federalism into a “joke.” The BJP-led Centre’s contentious law essentially nullifies a May 11 Supreme Court judgement that awarded the Delhi government executive power over the bureaucracy.
Punjab’s Bhagwant Mann has written to the Centre, stating that the Centre is not paying attention to Punjab’s concerns and that he will skip the meeting.
In a prior meeting in August of last year, the Chief Minister voiced concerns about the Rural Development Fund (RDF), stubble burning, and farmers’ concerns, which he claims the Centre ignored. Mann describes the meeting as a “photo session,” and says there’s no use in attending unless outstanding concerns are resolved.
Meanwhile, three other important Opposition leaders, Telangana’s K Chandrashekar Rao, West Bengal’s Mamata Banerjee, and Bihar’s Nitish Kumar, are also missing the meeting. Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, who keeps a strategic gap between the NDA and the Opposition, was also missing from the meeting.
The BJP said that the absent Chief Ministers failed to convey the people’s voice to a vital planning meeting, when over a hundred problems were scheduled to be discussed. “NITI Aayog is a significant platform for evolving a shared vision of national development priorities, sectors, and strategies with the active participation of states,” it said, adding that it’s an important body for determining the entire policy-framework and the road map for the country’s development.
The NITI Aayog is critical to the country’s growth and strategy.
“There are 100 problems scheduled for this conference, and Chief Ministers who do not attend are not representing the people of their states. How far will you go to oppose Modi?” Ravi Shankar Prasad, a BJP politician and former union Minister, stated.
According to government sources, Chief Ministers skipping NITI Aayog Governing Council Meetings is equivalent to boycotting the state’s development. According to insiders, the Governing Council Meeting (GCM) covered more than a hundred significant subjects, and those who are not represented would lose out.
