KCR to boycott NITI Ayog meet protesting Centre's indifference

HYDERABAD: Telangana Chief Minister KCR on Saturday announced his decision to boycott the Niti Aayog meeting as a strong protest against the Central Government's current trend of discriminating against states and not treating them equally. The meeting is scheduled to be held in Delhi on Sunday. KCR said that the NDA government had not kept a single promise. He even demanded an immediate withdrawal of GST on milk, handlooms and crematoriums, calling it an anti-people measure.

KCR wrote an open letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi conveying his decision to boycott the meeting besides also criticising what the NDA government and Niti Aayog have allegedly failed to achieve.

"Don't curtail the progress of any performing State," he asserted. Incentivise the states that are contributing to the development of the nation, he advised.

Speaking at a press conference at Pragati Bhavan here on Saturday, the Chief Minister criticised the Narendra Modi administration for the growing unemployment, GST hikes and inflation. He said that the grants should be made based on state-specific issues. "We recommended that grants be made in this manner. Under the NDA rule, cooperative federalism has vanished and 'imperial dictatorism' has crept in. Is this what is called cooperative federalism? Is it called Team India? I am saying this with a lot of grief," he lamented.

Niti Ayog, a redundant entity

KCR said that Niti Ayog was a redundant entity and was very critical of its functioning in comparison with the erstwhile Planning Commission. "Nobody knows who creates the agenda for the Niti Aayog. This is not a game of petty politics. Everyone should be aware of this. There is no respect for this entity. Even the Narendra Modi government does not seem to respect Niti Ayog", he remarked.

He said that the Centre and the Niti Aayog had avoided paying states nearly Rs 14 lakh crores of their share of taxes by cleverly tweaking it into a cess. "Is this right? Is this what Team India is all about? Will there be a discussion about this at Niti Aayog? It's nothing but a Bhajana Mandali where you are not allowed to speak for more than four minutes. Why not the Centre hold the meeting for 3-4 days and hear out the states' concerns if it really values Niti Ayog?", KCR questioned.

The Telangana Chief Minister said that the states had the freedom to discuss and get what they wanted when Planning Commission was in existence. "The Centre's decisions are hindering the state's progress. This is something I said at the first Niti Aayog meeting", he informed.

"I had said it at every Niti Aayog meeting. I desired that my statement be recorded. Rajnath Singh told me, 'Aap Ghazab ka baat kiya,' Secretaries of 16 states came and congratulated me. Nothing really happened after that", KCR said.

The Telangana Chief Minister said that this was his official statement as a CM. "Last fiscal year, we earned and spent Rs 1.90 lakh crore. Out of this, what the state received from the Centre in the form of all its assistance to various schemes was only Rs 5,000 crore. Is this federal attitude? No one cares for Niti Aayog", he said.

"The Finance Commission of India had earlier recommended a grant of Rs 6,000 crore, but we did not receive a single Paisa. Even today, the Centre owes us Rs 3,000 crores towards GST arrears. Attending a Niti Aayog meeting is unnecessary and waste of travel expenses. We're tired of telling them what they need to do", he commented.

In a no-holds-barred attack on the Modi government, KCR asked, referring to the Agnipath scheme, as to why no state was consulted when the Centre altered the military service rules. He also cited the BJP national president's earlier statement claiming that the country would have only one political party in existence. "Is this really cooperative federalism? This tendency is not good for the country", he said.

KCR also said that the Modi government should stop the 'thamasha' of promoting Yeknath Shindes. "Unfortunately, even Mahatma Gandhi is being insulted in many ways with no one to stop such a culture", he said.

The Telangana Chief Minister gave a befitting reply on the issue of freebies. He said that the Centre should first desist from waiving off more and more NPAs (non-performing assets). In fact, he termed the whole NPA waiver a big scam under the NDA rule. "Now, they (Centre) are asking us to stop giving freebies to people. Is giving out pensions to the old a freebie? Why are they giving (waiving off) NPA then? The NPAs in 2004-05 under the UPA rule were at Rs 55,000 crores. Now, it has gone up to Rs 20.7 lakh crores. Almost, Rs 12 lakh crores of NPAs were given out by the Modi government. It is a big scam. In addition, defaulted bank loans run into several lakhs of crores. The Centre must give an explanation to the country on what exactly is this", he fumed.

KCR said that experts were expressing concerns of forex reserves fast drying up. "Huge amounts of forex are going out of the country. There was a time when the country faced a brain drain. Now, it's the turn of the capital drain", KCR commented.

Because of these reasons, I am not attending the Niti Aayog meeting. The country will now discuss why I have boycotted the meeting, which is what I want. This may infuriate the Prime Minister. But I have my right to do so. The attitude and mindset of the Centre must change," he said.