Boycotting NITI Aayog is anti-people: BJP

Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a group photo with government officials during the 8th Governing Council meeting of Niti Aayog on the theme of ‘Viksit Bharat @ 2047: Role of Team India’ at the new Convention Centre in Pragati Maidan, in New Delhi on Saturday. Pic/PTI

The BJP on Saturday lashed out at chief ministers who boycotted the governing council meeting of the NITI Aayog, calling their decision "anti-people" and "irresponsible". The meeting, which began here on Saturday, has on its agenda to discuss several 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, senior BJP leader and former Union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said the NITI Aayog is a key body for determining the entire objective, policy framework and roadmap for the development of the country. He said as many as 100 issues are proposed to be discussed in the eighth governing council meeting of the NITI Aayog but chief ministers of eight states are not coming to attend it.

Prasad said chief ministers Arvind Kejriwal, Bhagwant Mann, Mamata Banerjee, Nitish Kumar, MK Stalin, K Chandrashekar Rao are among those not attending the meet. "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.

It is "very unfortunate, irresponsible and anti-people," he said. "How far will you go in opposing Prime Minister Narendra Modi," the BJP leader asked. "You will get more opportunities to oppose Modi. But why are you causing harm to the people of your state?" he questioned. This decision to boycott the meeting by eight chief ministers is "totally irresponsible" and is also "against the public interest and in the interest of people they govern in their states", Prasad added.

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