8 Chief Ministers skip Niti Aayog meet, PM Modi bats for states' growth

Poor attendance by the non-NDA state CMs coincides with the boycott call given by the opposition parties ahead of the inauguration of the new parliament

Chief Ministers of 8 states skipped the eighth Governing Council meeting of the Niti Aayog chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Delhi on Saturday.

In his opening remarks at the meeting attended by senior ministers in the union council, several chief ministers, and lieutenant governors of union territories, Prime Minister Modi underlined the need for a common vision to make India a developed nation by 2047 and urged states to take financially prudent decisions.

“At Niti Aayog’s #8thGCM, PM @Narendramodi stated that when states grow, India grows. He also emphasized the importance of evolving a common vision to achieve a #VikasitBhart @2047”. Niti Ayog said in a series of tweets.

Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal had on Friday announced a boycott of the meeting. He along with his party colleague and Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann traveled to Hyderabad to meet Telangana CM K Chandrashekhar Rao to drum up support against the central government ordinance on transfer of bureaucrats in Delhi.

Other chief ministers who gave the Niti Aayog deliberations a miss include West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, Tamil Nadu CM MK Stalin, Bihar CM Nitish Kumar, Kerela CM and CPI(M) leader Pinarai Vijayan and Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot.

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah stayed put in Bangalore to attend the oath-taking ceremony of the 24 ministers who were inducted into the council of ministers.

Also Read | PM Modi chairs Niti Aayog's 8th Governing Council meet in Delhi

Poor attendance by the non-NDA state chief minister at the Aayog meeting coincides with the boycott call given by the opposition parties ahead of the inauguration of the new parliament building by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday.

Bihar CM Nitish Kumar blamed the Centre for his inability to participate in the meeting where he wanted to raise issues like caste census and special status for the state.

“I sought a change in the timing since it clashed with the function here. They (the Centre), however, did not agree. Had they agreed to hold the meeting even in the afternoon, I would have been able to attend”; the JD(U) leader said in Patna.

The ruling BJP hit out at 8 chief ministers for their absence, calling their decision “anti-people”.

"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,", former union minister and BJP leader Ravi Shanker Prasad said addressing media in Delhi.

The day-long deliberations at the Niti Aayog meeting focussed on several social sector issues including