New Delhi | West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao will not attend the fifth governing council meeting of the Niti Aayog chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday.
Mamata Banerjee, who is currently in an internal conflict with BJP in the state, refused to attend the meeting terming it “useless”.
In a 3-page long letter addressed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Mamata Banerjee said it is “simply useless” to attend the meet as its agenda is fixed by the Centre without consulting the states.
She also claimed that the Planning Commission was more effective than the NITI AAYOG, and rooted for its return.
K Chandrashekar Rao, on the other hand, is said to be busy preparing for the inauguration of an irrigation project. Both the leaders had also skipped the swearing-in ceremony of PM Modi.
This will be the first NITI AAYOG meeting since the return of Modi government after the historic victory in the Lok Sabha polls.
According to a statement issued by the Niti Aayog, issues like rain-water harvesting, drought situation and relief measures, transforming aspirational districts as well as security-related issues with a specific focus on Left Wing Extremism-hit districts are expected to be discussed at the meeting.
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