CPI’s D Raja Questions NITI Aayog’s Role, Mamata Banerjee Walks Out of Meeting
Bhubaneswar (Odisha) [India], July 27: The Communist Party of India (CPI) General Secretary D Raja raised concerns about the work of NITI Aayog, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He claimed that the think tank is pushing for the privatization of all public sectors.
D Raja said, “First of all, the Prime Minister should explain why the Planning Commission was disbanded. When the BJP came to power, the first thing they did was to disband the Planning Commission. They formed the Niti Aayog. What is the work of the Niti Aayog? What policies are they going to decide? What recommendations are they going to make to the government?”
He added, “As far as I know, the NITI Aayog is proposing privatization of all public sectors. That is why many Chief Ministers have raised genuine issues.”
The 9th NITI Aayog’s Governing Council meeting, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, was held at the Rashtrapati Bhavan Cultural Centre in the national capital today.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee walked out of the meeting, alleging that her microphone was muted and she was not allowed to speak for more than five minutes, while other chief ministers were given more time. Banerjee said, “I said you (central government) should not discriminate against state governments. I wanted to speak but my mic was muted. I was allowed to speak only for 5 minutes. People before me spoke for 10-20 minutes.”
She further stated that the attitude of the BJP ministers and leaders is such that they want to divide Bengal while also imposing economic and geographical blockades on the state.
Meanwhile, the DMK is staging a state-wide protest in all district headquarters in Tamil Nadu against the Union Budget presented on July 23, alleging that Tamil Nadu has been “neglected” in the budget. Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin criticized the BJP government, saying the budget seems like a “vengeful act” against the states and people who boycotted the BJP.
Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, while presenting the Union Budget 2024-25, made major announcements for Bihar and Andhra Pradesh, including a boost in infrastructure.
Notably, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Stalin was the first to announce his boycott of the NITI Aayog meeting. Following this, the Congress said its chief ministers, including Himachal Pradesh’s Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu, Karnataka’s Siddaramaiah, and Telangana’s Revanth Reddy, would also skip the meeting.
This year’s theme of the NITI Aayog meeting is ‘Viksit Bharat@2047’, with a central focus on making India a developed nation. The Governing Council Meeting will discuss the Approach Paper for the Vision Document on Viksit Bharat @2047.
Doubts Revealed
CPI -: CPI stands for Communist Party of India. It is a political party in India that believes in the principles of communism, which means they want everyone to have equal wealth and opportunities.
D Raja -: D Raja is a leader and the General Secretary of the Communist Party of India (CPI). He is responsible for making important decisions and representing the party.
NITI Aayog -: NITI Aayog is a government organization in India that helps plan and develop policies for the country. It replaced the Planning Commission in 2015.
privatization -: Privatization means transferring the ownership of businesses or services from the government to private companies. This is done to improve efficiency and quality.
public sectors -: Public sectors are parts of the economy that are owned and operated by the government, like railways, hospitals, and schools.
Mamata Banerjee -: Mamata Banerjee is the Chief Minister of West Bengal, a state in India. She is the leader of the Trinamool Congress (TMC) party.
DMK -: DMK stands for Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam. It is a political party in Tamil Nadu, a state in India, that focuses on the rights and development of the Tamil people.
Union Budget -: The Union Budget is the annual financial statement presented by the government of India. It outlines the government’s revenue and expenditure for the upcoming year.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi -: Narendra Modi is the current Prime Minister of India. He is the head of the government and leads the country.
Viksit Bharat@2047 -: Viksit Bharat@2047 is a vision to make India a developed country by the year 2047, which will be the 100th anniversary of India’s independence.
