New Delhi: 7 Chief Ministers boycotted today’s Niti Aayog Council meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Delhi. Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Khelat has cited health reasons for not attending, and Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has not given any specific reason for his absence.
Arvind Kejriwal wrote to the Prime Minister on Friday, announcing a boycott of the meeting over the Centre’s recent emergency bill, and alleged that cooperative federalism in the country was being turned into a “joke”. The BJP-led central government’s controversial ordinance effectively nullifies the May 11 Supreme Court order that gave the Delhi government administrative control over the bureaucracy.

Bhagwant Mann of Punjab has written a note to the central government saying that he is not paying attention to the interests of Punjab and hence boycotting the meeting. In the previous meeting, in August last year, the chief minister had raised issues like Rural Development Fund (RDF), sapling burning and farmers’ concerns, which he says the central government has not paid attention to. Calling it a mere “photo session”, Mr Mann said in his note that there was no point in participating in the meeting until the outstanding issues were resolved.

Three main opposition leaders — Telangana’s K. Chandrasekhar Rao, West Bengal’s Mamata Banerjee and Bihar’s Nitish Kumar — are also skipping the meeting as they try to forge a grand united opposition to take on the BJP in next year’s Lok Sabha elections. .

Government sources said that the Chief Ministers ignoring the NITI Aayog executive committee meetings is tantamount to ignoring the development of the state. Over hundred important issues will be discussed in the Governing Council Meeting (GCM) and states without representation will lose out, sources said.

“The road map to be laid on the following issues: Vixit Bharat@2047, (ii) thrust on MSMEs, (iii) infrastructure and investments, (iv) reduction of compliances, (v) women empowerment, (vi) health and nutrition, (vii) ) Capacity building, and (viii) Kathi Shakti for regional development and social infrastructure, reduction of people’s grievances of the states which the Chief Ministers ignore, Kathi Shakti, modern infrastructure, MSMEs and MSMEs and capacity building. A rich legacy of measures taken from the road map laid out by the previous GC meetings and citizen welfare. “There is,” they said.

Shiv Sena (UPD) president Sanjay Rawat said that if non-BJP Chief Ministers are boycotting meetings, then the Center is not treating them well. “Those who disobeyed the central government, the Niti Aayog did not listen to their demands,” he said.

Prime Minister Modi will preside over the eighth Governing Council meeting of NITI Aayog on Saturday at the new convention center in New Delhi’s Pragati Maidan on the theme ‘Vixit Bharat @2047: Team India’s Role’.

As NITI Aayog chairman, PM Modi presided over the meeting. With the aim of making India a developed country by 2047, he will discuss issues related to health, skill development, women empowerment and infrastructure development.