Chief ministers of Congress-ruled states opposed the Prime Minister’s move to dismantle the Planning Commission, describing the move as “unwarranted, short-sighted and dangerous”, at a meeting convened by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to discuss the future of the institution.
Kerala CM Oommen Chandy said that bodies like the Finance Commission and Planning Commission had been set up to look after the interests of the state governments. “The NDA government’s decision to scrap the panel without discussing the matter at a meeting of the National Development Council (NDC) does not augur well for democracy”, he said, adding, “The planning commission needs a “reorientation” and not a “political burial.”
Uttarakhand CM Harish Rawat also opposed the move and said, “A time-tested body like the Planning Commission should not be scrapped. There is a need to revamp and strengthen the Planning Commission, but scrapping it was not needed.”
Nabam Tuki, CM of Arunachal Pradesh, said the Planning Commission was an indispensable institution for taking forward the goal of developing the hill, tribal, special category states.
Congress spokesman Anand Sharma said in a statement that it was “ironic that the Prime Minister has claimed that the move is to empower the state governments and strengthen the federal structure after having taken the arbitrary decision without convening the meeting of the NDC or consulting the states.”
{{/usCountry}}Congress spokesman Anand Sharma said in a statement that it was “ironic that the Prime Minister has claimed that the move is to empower the state governments and strengthen the federal structure after having taken the arbitrary decision without convening the meeting of the NDC or consulting the states.”
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