‘Irresponsible’, ‘anti-people’: BJP slams CMs boycotting Niti Aayog meeting

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Saturday lashed out at chief ministers who boycotted the governing council meeting of the Niti Aayog, calling it ‘unfortunate’ ‘irresponsible’ and ‘anti-people’.

The meeting, which began in New Delhi on Saturday, has on its agenda to discuss issues including, health, skill development, women empowerment and infrastructure development, with an aim to make India a developed nation by 2047.

Addressing a press conference in Delhi, senior BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad said the decision to boycott the meeting by the opposition chief ministers was “totally irresponsible”, and also “against the public interest and in the interest of people they govern in their states.”

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As many as eight chief ministers, including Arvind Kejriwal of Delhi, Mamata Banerjee of West Bengal, Bhagwant Mann of Punjab, Nitish Kumar of Bihar, K Chandrashekar Rao of Telangana, MK Stalin of Tamil Nadu, Ashok Gehlot of Rajasthan and Pinarayi Vijayan of Kerala, have decided not to attend Niti Aayog meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

“Why are they not coming to attend the meeting where 100 issues are to be discussed? If such a large number of chief ministers do not participate, they are not bringing the voice of their states,” Prasad said.

The BJP MP further stated that Niti Aayog is an important body for determining the entire objective policy framework and the road map for the development of the country.

“Chief ministers not showing up to the meeting means they are not willing to present the issues of their people in the council. You will get more opportunities to oppose Modi. But why are you causing harm to the people of your state?” questioned Prasad.

“How far will you go in opposing Prime Minister Narendra Modi,” the BJP leader asked, addressing the press at the BJP headquarters in New Delhi.

Prasad said decisions taken at the last seven Niti Aayog meetings resulted in “lots of benefits”.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi chaired the eighth governing council meeting of Niti Aayog at the new Convention Centre in New Delhi’s Pragati Maidan on Saturday.

In the apex body of Niti Aayog, the council comprises chief ministers of states, lieutenant governors of union territories and various Union ministers, among others.

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The council meeting was not held in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The theme for this meeting, conducted at the new Convention Centre in Pragati Maidan, Delhi, is ‘Viksit Bharat @ 2047: Role of Team India’.

“Eight prominent themes will be discussed during the day-long Meeting including Viksit Bharat, Thrust on MSMEs, Infrastructure and Investments, Minimising Compliances, Women Empowerment, Health and Nutrition, Skill Development, and Gati Shakti for area development and social infrastructure,” according to a statement from Niti Aayog.