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Punjab CM Mann to skip Niti Aayog meeting amid AAP tussle with Centre
AAP state chief spokesperson Malvinder Singh Kang said the CM is boycotting the NITI Aayog meeting in protest against the discrimination with Punjab, including the withholding of the Rural Development Fund (RDF) totalling ₹4,000 crore
Amid the ongoing tussle between the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the BJP-led central government, Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann has decided to skip the governing council meeting of NITI Aayog on Saturday.
The chief minister has decided to stay away from the eighth governing council meeting of NITI Aayog to protest against the Centre for ignoring the interests of Punjab, people familiar with the development said.
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Prime Minister Narendra Modi will preside over the meeting, themed Viksit Bharat @ 2047: Role Team India, to be held in Delhi. The meeting will focus on key issues such as health, women empowerment, and infrastructure development.
AAP’s state chief spokesperson Malvinder Singh Kang said that the CM has decided to boycott the NITI Aayog meeting in protest against the discrimination with Punjab. “The Centre has withheld Rural Development Fund (RDF), totalling ₹4,000 crore, reduced RDF, stopped Mandi tax and delayed or shifted some sanctioned projects to other states,” he claimed.
The AAP and the BJP-led central government have been at loggerheads over several issues with the Centre’s ordinance on services in Delhi being the latest flashpoint.
In August 2022, Mann attended the NITI Aayog meeting and raised issues related to RDF and farmers.
