An RSS-affiliated group plans to audit the performance of policy think tank Niti Aayog at a conference next month in which leaders critical of the Narendra Modi government’s economic policies, such as Yashwant Sinha, will be present.
The Swadeshi Jagran Manch (SJM) will hold the meeting in New Delhi on January 10 to discuss the work of the Niti Aayog, the Modi government’s version of the now-defunct Planning Commission. The Manch will evaluate if it has achieved its goal.
“It’s been two years since the Aayog was formed. Two years is sufficient time and this is the right time to review its approach,” said Ashwani Mahajan, national co-convener of the Manch, a nationalist group that promotes self-reliance.
“We have found that its approach on various issues was not reflecting people’s wishes and those of state governments.”
The grassroots group associated with the RSS — the ruling BJP’s ideological fount — has been a vocal critic of several policies, especially on genetically engineered or GM crops because of the reliance on seeds patented by multinationals.