Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to chair the ninth governing council meeting of National Institution for Transforming India (NITI Aayog) on Saturday, to discuss making India a developed nation by 2047 on agenda.
“The Governing Council Meeting on July 27, 2024 will discuss the Approach Paper for the Vision Document on Viksit Bharat @2047…The meeting will also see detailed deliberations on the role of states in achieving the goal of Viksit Bharat @2047,” the statement from the government said.
The meeting will also focus on the recommendations of the third National Conference of chief secretaries, which was held in December last year.
The council with prime minister as the chairperson, comprises of all state chief ministers, lieutenant governors of Union Territories, and several Union ministers.
However, several opposition-ruled states’ chief ministers, including Tamil Nadu’s MK Stalin, Himachal Pradesh Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, have decided to give it a miss as a mark of protest against the Union budget which, they alleged, was “anti-federal” in spirit and “extremely discriminatory” towards their states.
Following are the top updates:
– Several INDIA bloc chief ministers, includes Tamil Nadu CM MK Stalin of the DMK, Kerala Chief Minister and CPI (M) leader Pinarayi Vijayan, Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann of the Aam Aadmi Party and all three Congress chief ministers — Karnataka’s Siddaramaiah, Himachal Pradesh’s Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu and Telangana’s Revanth Reddy, have decided to boycott the meeting after they slammed the Centre for its biased budget to accommodate allies JD(U) and TDP.
– On boycotting the NITI Aayog meeting, Stalin said, “The budget presented by the Finance Minister seems like a vengeful act against the states and people who boycotted the BJP. She has prepared a budget to take revenge against those who voted for the INDIA bloc. The union BJP govt is disregarding Tamil Nadu continuously.”
– However, West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee, decided to carve a niche away from the opposition alliance with her decision to attend the NITI Aayog meeting.
– Banerjee said that she would join the meeting and use the opportunity to register her protest against a “discriminatory budget” and the “conspiracy to divide West Bengal and other opposition-ruled states”.
– According to TMC, the Centre owes Bengal Rs 1,76,000 crore and the state is struggling to pay Awas Yojana and MGNREGA dues. Party insiders believe the Aayog meeting will be the right platform for the chief minister to raise the issue.
– “The attitude of their ministers and BJP leaders is such that they want to divide Bengal. Along with economic blockade, they want to impose a geographical blockade. Different leaders are giving different statements to divide Jharkhand, Bihar, and Bengal. We condemn this. We want to record our voice and I will be there to do so,” Banerjee said.
– Mamata Banerjee also slammed the public policy think-tank brought by the Modi government and demanded the scrapping of the Aayog and restoring the Planning Commission. “Since the NITI Aayog has been planned, I have not seen a single work being done because they don’t have any power. Earlier, there was a Planning Commission. As a chief minister… at that time I saw there was a system. I will raise my voice that stop this NITI Aayog. They do not have any financial power. They cannot do anything, only hold meeting once a year to show their face. Please bring back the Planning Commission again,” Banerjee said,” she said.
– Additionally, Jharkhand chief minister Hemant Soren would also participate in the key meeting, confirmed Banerjee. “Hemant (Soren) and I will be present at the meeting. We will speak on behalf of the others (who won’t be present),” she said. However, the Congress, which is a part of the JMM-led coalition government in the state, is against the CM’s participation in the meeting.
– However, the BJP slammed the opposition parties for boycotting the key meeting. Party leader CR Kesavan hit out at the opposition and said that they are betraying the very spirit of cooperative federalism, wrecking the well-being and harming the interest of the respective states and people by trying to use them as political pawns. “The obstructive opposition, with its shameful boycott, is indulging in dangerous, divisive federalism. This is not just irresponsible or untenable, the opposition’s behaviour is undemocratic. The fundamental difference between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the crooked Congress and the INDI alliance is this. For the prime minister, ‘desh’ comes first comes first. But for the INDI alliance, hatred comes first. This is very unfortunate….” he said.
– Chief ministers from the BJP-ruled states are set to attend the meeting. However, Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar, an NDA ally, has not confirmed his attendance yet.
(With inputs from agencies)
