Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann and Other INDIA Bloc Leaders to Boycott NITI Aayog Meeting
Chandigarh (Punjab) [India], July 25: The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)-led Punjab government has decided that Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann will not attend the Niti Aayog meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on July 27. This decision was made in solidarity with the INDIA bloc, following claims that the Union Budget presented on July 23 was discriminatory towards states ruled by non-NDA parties.
Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann will join other INDIA bloc leaders in boycotting the meeting. Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin was the first to announce the boycott, followed by Congress leaders including Himachal Pradesh’s Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu, Karnataka’s Siddaramaiah, and Telangana’s Revanth Reddy. Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren and Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan are also expected to skip the meeting.
However, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and TMC’s Derek O’Brien will attend the meeting to hold the Union government accountable for Bengal’s dues.
Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy, addressing the Telangana Legislative Assembly, stated that his government would boycott the meeting in protest against the central government’s alleged injustice in fund allocation. He also criticized the previous BRS government and challenged former CM K Chandrashekar Rao to join him in a protest at Jantar Mantar in Delhi.
The discussion on the Union Budget 2024-25, presented on July 23, will continue in both Houses of Parliament. Opposition parties have accused the budget of being discriminatory and lacking vision. Former Finance Minister and Congress MP P Chidambaram highlighted unemployment as a major challenge, with a 9.2% unemployment rate in June 2024. Trinamool Congress MP Abhishek Banerjee also criticized the budget for lacking clarity and vision.
The budget session of Parliament began on July 22 and will end on August 12.
Doubts Revealed
Punjab CM -: Punjab CM stands for Punjab Chief Minister. The Chief Minister is the head of the government in the state of Punjab.
Bhagwant Mann -: Bhagwant Mann is the current Chief Minister of Punjab. He is a leader from the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP).
INDIA Bloc -: INDIA Bloc is a group of political parties in India that are not part of the ruling party, the NDA. They work together to oppose the NDA’s policies.
Boycott -: Boycott means to refuse to participate in something as a way of protesting or showing disapproval.
NITI Aayog -: NITI Aayog is a government institution in India that helps in making important policies and plans for the country. It replaced the Planning Commission.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi -: Narendra Modi is the current Prime Minister of India. He is the leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
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.
NDA -: NDA stands for National Democratic Alliance. It is a coalition of political parties in India led by the BJP.
Tamil Nadu CM MK Stalin -: MK Stalin is the current Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu. He is a leader from the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) party.
Congress leaders -: Congress leaders are members of the Indian National Congress, one of the major political parties in India.
West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee -: Mamata Banerjee is the current Chief Minister of West Bengal. She is the leader of the All India Trinamool Congress (TMC) party.
Union government -: The Union government is the central government of India, which governs the entire country.
Budget session of Parliament -: The budget session of Parliament is a period when the Indian Parliament meets to discuss and approve the Union Budget and other important matters.