Three Southern CMs Skip PM-Chaired NITI Ayog Meet; Stalin, Revanth, Naidu In Attendance
Several southern Chief Ministers, including NDA-ruled Puducherry’s, skipped PM Modi’s Niti Aayog meeting, citing prior engagements or without providing reasons, sparking political speculation.
Three southern Chief Ministers, including from NDA ruled Puducherry skipped the Niti Ayog's Governing Council meeting in New Delhi that was chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday.
CMs of Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Telangana-- N Chandrababu Naidu, M K Stalin and A Revanth Reddy, were scheduled to attend the meeting and put forth their views before the council on respective issues.
While the CM of Congress-ruled Karnataka, Siddaramaiah, was busy with "prior engagement" in the state and sent his speech to be read out in the council, Marxist veteran and Kerala CM, Pinarayi Vijayan deputed his cabinet colleague K N Balagopal on his behalf.
Similarly, Puducherry chief minister N Rangasamy, who heads the AINRC-led NDA coalition in the union territory, also skipped the event, an official source said.
The source, however, did not disclose the reason for Rangasamy skipping the event.
It was not clear immediately whether the speech of the chief minister would be read out at the meeting.
In Kerala capital Thiruvananthapuram, government sources said that CM Vijayan has designated state finance minister Balagopal to go in his stead.
However, since it is a meeting of CMs, it is not clear whether Balagopal would be able to attend it, the sources said.
No reason was given for the CM not attending the meeting.
Last year also, Vijayan had not attended a Niti Aayog meeting of CMs in Delhi and had sent Balagopal.
In Bengaluru, a source close to Siddaramaiah said, "The Chief Minister is not boycotting the meeting, but he has a prior engagement in Mysuru".
The source told PTI that the CM has sent his address to the Governing council. He, however, did not clarify who would present Siddaramaiah's address in the meeting.
While AP CM Naidu heads a NDA coalition government in his state, DMK president Stalin and Congress' Revanth Reddy lead the non-BJP ruled Tamil Nadu and Telangana, respectively.
Incidentally, Stalin had last attended the 2021 governing council meeting.
With the opposition AIADMK questioning his motive behind attending today's meeting, he had days ago asserted he would be in the national capital to voice the demand for "fair financial right of Tamil Nadu." He had said: "I will be firm on the ideology! I will get funds for Tamil Nadu through struggle." AIADMK top leader Edappadi K Palaniswami had alleged Stalin's Delhi visit was for the sake of family's benefit.
Niti Aayog's 10th Governing Council meeting, chaired by PM Modi, has the theme 'Viksit Rajya for Viksit Bharat@2047'.
The council, the apex body of Niti Aayog, includes all state CMs, lieutenant governors of Union Territories, and several Union ministers. Prime Minister Modi is the chairman of Niti Aayog.
It is the first major meeting of the PM with chief ministers of all states and lieutenant governors after Operation Sindoor.
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