PM Modi Leads NITI Aayog Meeting Amid Opposition Boycott

Prime Minister Narendra Modi presided over the ninth Governing Council meeting of NITI Aayog, focusing on pressing development issues and policy matters on Saturday, July 27.

NITI Aayog is a body of the central government which works as a think tank, includes the Prime Minister as Chairman, along with the Chief Ministers of all states, several Lieutenant Governors from Union Territories, and various Union Ministers.

Reports indicate that Chief Ministers from BJP-led states were instructed to present their achievements to PM Modi. These presentations were intended to showcase their government’s successes and address areas of underperformance.

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However, the meeting saw notable absences from several Opposition leaders. Tamil Nadu’s Chief Minister MK Stalin, Kerala’s Pinarayi Vijayan, Punjab’s Bhagwant Mann, and Congress Chief Ministers Siddaramaiah of Karnataka, Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu of Himachal Pradesh, and Revanth Reddy of Telangana, all chose to boycott the session. Puducherry’s Chief Minister N Rangasamy also skipped the meeting, citing the recent approval of Puducherry’s budget as a reason for his absence.

Despite the boycott, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee attended. Banerjee, a prominent member of the Opposition INDIA bloc, has previously criticized NITI Aayog and called for the reinstatement of the Planning Commission. She expressed concerns about the BJP’s governance and reiterated her stance against the fragmentation of states.

In a recent statement, Banerjee labeled the BJP as a “tukde-tukde platform” and emphasized her commitment to protecting her state’s unity. She also addressed the situation in Bangladesh, noting her state’s obligation to offer refuge if necessary, in accordance with international conventions.

The meeting aimed to serve as a platform for discussing national development strategies and fostering intergovernmental cooperation, even as significant opposition voices chose to remain absent.