West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee has demanded the Narendra Modi government to scrap public policy think tank NITI Aayog and restore the Planning Commission. restored.
Ahead of the NITI Aayog meeting, to be chaired by the Prime Minister Modi, she reached New Delhi on Friday evening, even as most INDIA bloc chief ministers have decided to boycott the meeting.
“They (BJP) have formed the government but they don’t have the people’s mandate. This is the first time after the BJP came in, since 2014, they have not formed the government as a single party. Because of their “compulsions”, the BJP-ruled NDA has brought a “politically very biased budget” which “deprives” all opposition states”, she said.
“I thought it is my duty to raise this voice at least on a common platform though I know the NITI Aayog has no financial powers. Since the NITI Aayog has been planned, I have not seen a single work being done because they don’t have any power. Earlier, there was a Planning Commission. As a chief minister… at that time I saw there was a system,” she added.
Three Congress Chief Ministers and Chief Ministers of Tamil Nadu and Punjab have announced their decision to absent from this meeting, protesting against the biased Union Budget.
“I will protest against the political discrimination being done against West Bengal in the Niti Aayog meeting. The attitude of their ministers and the BJP leaders is such that they want to divide the state,” she said.
The TMC leader charged that the BJP leaders want to create a geographical divide between West Bengal and a few other states. “Along with the economic blockade, they also want to impose a geographical blockade. Different leaders are giving different statements to divide Jharkhand, Bihar and West Bengal. We condemn this,” she said.
She said state governments had power to discuss their issues under the Planning Commission and it was very good at taking care of states in different areas. “But now there is no hope, no scope.”
