Four CMs to boycott NITI Aayog meeting over neglect in Union Budget

In February 2024, the Chief Ministers of Karnataka and Kerala, along with their cabinet ministers, conducted separate protests in New Delhi over alleged 'financial injustice' from the Union government

Four Chief Ministers—Tamil Nadu CM MK Stalin and three Congress CMs (Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah, Telangana CM  A Revanth Reddy, and Himachal Pradesh CM Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu)—have decided to boycott the NITI Aayog meeting in Delhi on July 27, which will be chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

They allege discrimination towards their respective states in the Union Budget presented on July 23.

Stalin was the first to announce the decision to boycott the NITI Aayog meet. He said: "There is no special scheme for the state. None of our demands have been fulfilled. Both Tamil Nadu and the Thirukkural, which PM Modi had said he loved, were not even mentioned in the budget. Shockingly, the words 'Tamil' or 'Tamil Nadu' do not appear even once in the entire budget speech by the Union finance minister, who previously began her budget speeches with the 'Thirukkural'," said Stalin.

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Congress general secretary KC Venugopal said that all CM will boycott the NITI Aayog meeting. Venugopal wrote on X: 'The Union Budget presented today was extremely discriminatory and dangerous, completely contradicting the principles of federalism and fairness that the Union Government must uphold. In protest, INC Chief Ministers will be boycotting the NITI Aayog meeting scheduled for July 27. This government’s attitude is entirely contrary to Constitutional principles. We will not participate in an event that is solely designed to conceal the true, discriminatory nature of this regime.'"

Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah said, "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. Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, who also attended the meeting, has ignored the concerns of the people of Karnataka. We don't feel Kannadigas are heard, and hence there is no point in attending the NITI Aayog meeting. We have decided to boycott the NITI Aayog meeting, which will be chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on July 27, as a mark of protest".

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Telangana CM A Revanth Reddy said the Union Budget dealt an injustice to Telangana. "There was no mention of Telangana in the budget. We will raise this issue in the assembly and convey the government's protest to the Centre. When funds were allocated to Andhra Pradesh under the AP Reorganisation Act, 2014, why did they discriminate against Telangana under the same act? We will fight against this discrimination by the Centre with other southern states."

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Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan said, "The #Budget2024 presented by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman exhibits a discriminatory attitude towards the states, particularly Kerala. Our genuine demands for AIIMS, disaster relief packages, and interventions for the tourism sector have been met with deafening silence. This unsympathetic and discriminatory stance must be called out and actively resisted. We stand firm in advocating for the rights and needs of Kerala and demand fair and just consideration".

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"Even our farmers' demands to approve Mekedatu and Mahadayi have been ignored. There was no attempt to rectify the sin of reducing funds to our state under various categories. Funds for metro and other infrastructure projects are still a distant dream. Narendra Modi 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" said Siddaramaiah.

Tamil Nadu CM said that DMK MPs will stage a protest in Delhi on July 24 over the neglect in the Union Budget. Stalin said that BJP has only announced schemes for a few states, which has helped turn the minority BJP into a majority government.

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Southern states have been at loggerheads with the BJP-led Union government. In February 2024, the Chief Ministers of Karnataka and Kerala, along with their cabinet ministers, conducted separate protests in New Delhi over alleged 'financial injustice' from the Union government. Tamil Nadu MPs also staged protests against the Union government, citing discrimination. Last year, the Kerala government approached the Supreme Court to challenge the Centre’s decision to lower the borrowing limit for the state.

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