Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann To Boycott July 27 NITI Aayog Meeting: Here's Why

The Aam Aadmi Party-led Punjab government has decided that Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann will not attend the NITI Aayog meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on July 27. This decision aligns with the INDIA bloc's stance, following claims from opposition parties that the Union Budget presented on July 23 was "discriminatory" and did not allocate sufficient funds for states governed by non-NDA parties.

Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann's boycott of the NITI Aayog meeting is part of a broader protest by several chief ministers from the INDIA bloc. Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin first announced his intention to skip the meeting. Following this, Congress declared that its chief ministers, including Himachal Pradesh's Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu, Karnataka's Siddaramaiah, and Telangana's Revanth Reddy, would also not attend.

INDIA Bloc's Stand Against Union Budget

In addition to Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann, Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren and Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan are expected to miss the meeting. However, West Bengal's Mamata Banerjee and TMC's Derek O'Brien plan to attend. They aim to use the platform to hold the Union government accountable for what they claim are Bengal's legitimate dues.

Addressing the Telangana Legislative Assembly on Wednesday, Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy announced his government's boycott of the NITI Aayog meeting on July 27. He stated this was a protest against what he described as central government's alleged injustice in fund allocation to Telangana. "As a mark of protest against the Central Government, we, the Telangana Government, are boycotting the NITI Aayog meeting to be held on July 27th. The Centre has violated the rights of Telangana. There is injustice to the state in the allocation of funds," Reddy said in the Assembly.

Union Budget Discussions Continue

Meanwhile, discussions on the Union Budget 2024-25 continue in both Houses of Parliament. The budget for Jammu and Kashmir for 2024-25 will also be discussed today. Union Ministers Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, Jitendra Singh, Arjun Ram Meghwal, and Kirtivardhan Singh will present papers in Parliament today.

The budget session began on July 22 and is scheduled to conclude on August 12. Former Finance Minister and Congress MP P Chidambaram initiated discussions in Rajya Sabha while Congress MP Kumari Selja started them in Lok Sabha. Chidambaram highlighted four significant challenges, noting that unemployment is most pressing with a rate of 9.2 percent for June 2024 according to data from Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE).

Opposition Criticisms

Trinamool Congress MP Abhishek Banerjee criticized the Modi government during budget discussions. He claimed that the Union Budget lacks clarity and vision and alleged it was designed to satisfy BJP's coalition partners. Banerjee stated, "it was planned by two individuals to keep another two in good faith."

Reddy also criticised the previous BRS government in Telangana and challenged former CM K Chandrashekar Rao to join him in a Deeksha protest at Jantar Mantar in Delhi for Telangana's benefit. This challenge followed heated discussions about alleged discrimination against Telangana in fund allocation.