Four Chief Ministers announced on Tuesday their decision to boycott the NITI Aayog meeting, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on July 27, in protest against the Union Budget's neglect of their states' demands.
Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah stated that attending the NITI Aayog meeting would be pointless, as he feels the concerns of Kannadigas have not been addressed.
"Despite my earnest efforts in calling for an all-party MPs meeting in New Delhi to discuss Karnataka's essential needs, the Union Budget has neglected our state's demands," Siddaramaiah said.
"Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, who also attended the meeting, has ignored the concerns of the people of Karnataka. We don't feel that Kannadigas are heard, and hence there is no point in attending the NITI Aayog meeting," he posted on social media platform X.
He said, "PM Modi is is unable to see states other than Andhra Pradesh and Bihar because his eyes are on the position of Prime Minister. His agenda is exposed in front of the people. We hope the people of our state stand with us in our fight for justice."
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin also announced his government's decision to boycott the NITI Aayog meeting at a press conference on Tuesday evening.
Stalin criticised the budget as the "biggest betrayal" for Tamil Nadu, expressing strong dissatisfaction with the central government's fiscal policies and budget allocations.
He claimed these allocations have “repeatedly overlooked the needs and demands of Tamil Nadu.”
Stalin also highlighted the minimal increase in funding for critical sectors like health, education, and agriculture, describing it as “worrisome given the state’s current needs.”
The DMK supremo also criticised the budget for not addressing issues like unemployment and inflation, which he said are “severely affecting the common people.”
Stalin also said that DMK MPs would stage a protest on Wednesday in Delhi.
Stalin accused the BJP of selectively announcing schemes to appease a few regional parties to ensure the NDA government's stability.
"Schemes were introduced for certain states to placate a few regional parties that helped transform a ‘minority BJP’ into a ‘majority BJP’," he said.
The other two Congress CMs that have announced to boycott the meeting are Telangana’s Revanth Reddy and Himachal Pradesh’s Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu.
Congress general secretary K C Venugopal, in a social media post wrote, “The Union Budget presented today was extremely discriminatory and dangerous, which completely goes against the principles of federalism and fairness that the Union Government must follow. In protest, INC CMs will be boycotting the NITI Aayog meeting. This government’s attitude is completely antithetical to Constitutional principles. We will not participate in an event that is solely designed to hide the true, discriminatory colours of this regime.”
