SAD condemns CM’s decision to boycott Niti Aayog meeting, says it will be suicidal for the State’s interests.
Chandigarh, July 25 – The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) today condemned chief minister Bhagwant Mann’s decision to boycott the forthcoming meeting of the Niti Aayog, asserting it would be suicidal for the interests of the State.In a statement here, senior leader Dr Daljit Singh Cheema said “the Niti Aayog meeting is a forum in which the States give inputs on different policies and programmes of the centre. This is an opportunity to elaborate the need for State specific schemes and discourage central schemes under the one foot fits all formula. It is also an opportunity to spell out Punjab’s special needs and convince the Aayog to make appropriate recommendations to the union government”.Dr Daljit Cheema said instead of taking a pro-Punjab decision and attending the meeting, Mr Bhagwant Mann had chosen to play politics and join the Congress bandwagon and boycott it. Asserting that this decision did not have any justification, the SAD leader said “it is surprising that before taking such a drastic step the chief minister neither took the Vidhan Sabha into confidence nor did he consult the political parties of the State”.Asking the chief minister to prepare Punjab’s case properly and present it to the Niti Aayog, Dr Cheema said “the decision to boycott the meeting should be withdrawn immediately”. He said Punjab should use the forum available to hold the union government accountable for ignoring the State in the union budget 2024 and ensure it is not ignored again while framing further policies and programmes. Dr Cheema also asserted the chief minister should not run away from his constitutional duties and should not sacrifice the interests of Punjab by toeing the line of the Congress party. EOMJangveer Singh
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