10 CMs Including Mann from Panjab Boycott NITI Ayog Council Meeting

On 27 Jul, 10 Chief Ministers of non-BJP ruled states and union territories – including Bhagwant Singh Mann from Panjab – boycotted the NITI Ayog (earlier Planning Commission) meeting. The 9^thNITI Ayog Governing Council meeting was chaired by PM Narendra Modi. The opposition CMs are unhappy with the budget, which favored National Democratic Alliance (NDA) allies – Telugu Desam Party (TDP) in Andhra Pradesh and Janata Dal United (JDU) in Bihar – and hardly offered anything to the other states (SDW Vol 2 Issue 30, Story 3). BJP ally CM Nitish Kumar also skipped the meeting – apparently because NDA refused special category status to Bihar. Tamil Nadu CM MK Stalin said, ‘The budget has punished those who did not vote for BJP.’ Panjab CM Mann said, ‘The decision was taken after the Union Budget failed to allocate funds to Panjab despite the state’s significant contributions to the nation.’ Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee was the only opposition leader to attend the meeting. However, Banerjee was allotted only 5 minutes to speak while BJP ally Andhra Pradesh CM Chandrababu Naidu spoke for more than 20. As soon as Banerjee's time was up, the mic was cut. Angry at the insult, Banerjee walked out. The NITI Ayog has not made the footage of the meeting public. In the meeting, PM Modi said, ‘The dream of a Viksit Bharat 2047 (developed India) can be achieved only through the combined efforts of all States.’ Yet, the Budget and the BJP's own conduct defeats the very purpose of the meeting and the lofty goal the PM has set.