Opposition leader R Ashoka criticises CM Siddaramaiah for boycotting NITI Aayog meeting

Ashoka said that by boycotting the meeting to pursue the Congress party's "petty politics," Siddaramaiah has insulted the 6.5 crore Kannadigas.

"It is a disgrace that CM @siddaramaiah has chosen to boycott the NITI Aayog meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on July 27. Governance and development should remain above expedient party politics. By boycotting the meeting of the apex public policy think tank of the Government of India, CM Siddaramaiah has insulted the 6.5 crore Kannadigas and the mandate given to @INCKarnataka," Ashoka said in a post on X.

"CM @siddaramaiah, people of Karnataka expected you to show a little spine and statesmanship and put the interest of the state above your @INCIndia high command's petty politics. It is unfortunate that a senior leader like CM Siddaramaiah is forced to dance to the tunes of Balak Buddhi @RahulGandhi to continue in his chair, instead of allowing him to discharge his duties as the Chief Minister," he added.

Terming the Union Budget 2024 discriminatory, Congress General Secretary KC Venugopal announced on Tuesday that his party's Chief Ministers would boycott the NITI Aayog meeting scheduled for July 27.

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) leader MK Stalin, a key ally of the Congress, has also said that he would not attend the NITI Aayog meeting, calling the budget 'discriminatory.'

Taking to X, KC Venugopal said, "The Union Budget presented today was extremely discriminatory and dangerous, which completely goes against the principles of federalism and fairness that the Union Government must follow. In protest, INC CMs will be boycotting the NITI Aayog meeting scheduled for July 27."

After Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman presented the first Budget in Narendra Modi 3.0, the Opposition parties slammed the Centre, terming the budget as a "Kursi Bachao Budget," while the ruling party and its allies said that it was the roadmap for a "Viksit Bharat."

The Opposition leaders' criticism came after Nirmala Sitharaman announced special schemes in her budget speech for Andhra Pradesh and Bihar. The governments in these two states are led by the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and Janata Dal (United), two key allies of the Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP), whose support is critical for the NDA government at the Centre to stay in power.

A special financial support of Rs 15,000 crore was announced for Andhra Pradesh for developing its capital, Amaravati. For Bihar, development projects worth Rs 58,900 crore were announced in the Union Budget.

The Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, criticised the Union Budget 2024-25 on Tuesday, accusing the Finance Minister of making hollow promises.

Taking to social media platform 'X,' he tweeted, "Kursi Bachao Budget. Appease Allies: Hollow promises to them at the cost of other states. Appease Cronies: Benefits to AA with no relief for the common Indian. Copy and Paste: Congress manifesto and previous budgets." (ANI)