Congress Leader Pawan Khera and Others Boycott NITI Aayog Meeting
New Delhi [India], July 29: Congress leader Pawan Khera explained why the INDIA bloc decided to boycott the NITI Aayog meeting. He accused the government of favoring states it relies on, such as those led by Nitish Kumar and N Chandrababu Naidu, while punishing Rajasthan and Maharashtra for not supporting BJP.
Khera said, “When PM Modi was talking about double-engine government throughout the election campaign, we thought he would stop after elections but even in the budget, they opened their treasury for the two states on which they are dependent, be it Nitish Kumar’s party or N Chandrababu Naidu’s party. Rajasthan and Maharashtra were punished because BJP did not get enough seats in these two states.”
Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut added that West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee was insulted at the meeting, claiming her microphone was turned off after five minutes. He said, “The way the budget is made, NITI Aayog works accordingly. Only BJP-ruled states are being given money and schemes. That’s why Stalin (Tamil Nadu CM), Telangana and Himachal Pradesh CMs boycotted the meeting.”
Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman dismissed Banerjee’s claims as baseless, suggesting she was trying to please the INDIA bloc leaders. Banerjee accused the Centre of “insulting Bengal” by interrupting her speech, calling it a deliberate attempt to “malign the opposition.”
Doubts Revealed
Congress -: Congress is a major political party in India. It has been one of the oldest and most influential parties in the country.
Pawan Khera -: Pawan Khera is a leader from the Congress party. He often speaks on behalf of the party on various issues.
Boycott -: Boycott means to refuse to participate in something as a way of protesting. In this case, it means not attending the meeting to show disagreement.
NITI Aayog -: NITI Aayog is a government organization in India that helps plan and develop policies for the country. It replaced the Planning Commission.
INDIA bloc -: INDIA bloc is a group of political parties in India that have come together to oppose the ruling party, BJP.
BJP -: BJP stands for Bharatiya Janata Party. It is another major political party in India and is currently in power.
Shiv Sena -: Shiv Sena is a regional political party in Maharashtra, India. It often has strong opinions on local and national issues.
Sanjay Raut -: Sanjay Raut is a leader from the Shiv Sena party. He is known for his outspoken views.
West Bengal -: West Bengal is a state in eastern India. It has its own government and Chief Minister.
CM Mamata Banerjee -: Mamata Banerjee is the Chief Minister of West Bengal. She is a prominent political leader in India.
Union Finance Minister -: The Union Finance Minister is a top government official in charge of the country’s finances. Nirmala Sitharaman currently holds this position.
Nirmala Sitharaman -: Nirmala Sitharaman is the current Union Finance Minister of India. She manages the country’s financial policies and budget.