Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Tuesday announced the boycott of the NITI Aayog meeting, to be convened under the chairmanship of PM Modi on July 27. Siddaramaiah took the decision claiming the Central government neglected the state demands in the Union Budget. In a post on social media platform X, Karnataka CM said, "Despite my earnest efforts in calling for an all-party MPs meeting in New Delhi to discuss Karnataka's essential needs, the Union Budget has neglected our state's demands."
"Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, who also attended the meeting, has ignored the concerns of the people of Karnataka. We don't feel Kannadigas are heard, and hence there is no point in attending the NITI Aayog meeting. We have decided to boycott the NITI Aayog meeting, which will be chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 27 July, as a mark of protest", Siddaramaiah added in his post.
He asserted that even the demands of farmers to approve Mekedatu and Mahadayi have been ignored, adding that there was no attempt to rectify their sin of reducing funds to our state under various categories. Moreover, he said, "Funds for metro and other infra projects are still a distant dream."
Siddaramaiah targets PM Modi
Siddaramaiah also targeted PM Modi, accusing him of discriminating with other states on behalf of Bihar and Andhra Pradesh, who have majorly gained in the budget. Siddaramaiah said, "Narendra Modi is unable to see states other than Andhra Pradesh and Bihar because his eyes are on the position of Prime Minister. His agenda is exposed in front of the people. We hope the people of our state stand with us in our fight for justice."
Stalin also to boycott NITI Aayog meeting
Earlier, Siddaramiah's decision to boycott the NITI Aayog meeting comes after Tamil Nadu CM MK Stalin took a similar decision, also citing discrimination against the state. Terming the budget as a big disappointment, Stalin said that it was appropriate to boycott the NITI Aayog meeting since the Centre had ignored Tamil Nadu in the budget. He argued that his wishlist for Tamil Nadu was entirely ignored.
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