KCR to boycott NITI Aayog meeting in protest, cites Centre’s ‘discrimination against states’

“…I am staying away from it (the Niti Aayog meeting) as a part of strong protest against the present trend of Central government to discriminate against States and not treating them as equal partners in our collective effort to make India a strong and developed country,” KCR wrote in the letter addressed to PM Modi.

He pointed out that “recent unpleasant happenings have given rise to an inescapable reaslization that the federal structure of India is being systematically eroded by some deliberate actions by the Government of India”.

KCR further said such developments are discouraging states like Telangana. “The blatant discrimination against some states even in the legitimate functions assigned to them in the Constitution leaves much to be desires,” KCR wrote.

Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao not to attend NITI Aayog meeting Sunday in protest against what he calls the trend of Central Government discriminating against states. Writes to PM conveying his decision. @IndianExpress pic.twitter.com/rxtx4tZ3El

— Manoj C G (@manojcg4u) August 6, 2022

Alleging that the Centre ignored an important recommendation put forward by the group of chief ministers constituted by the NITI Aayog, KCR expressed his anguish stating that the Centre has turned a blind eye towards the state-specific needs.

“In the beginning, NITI Aayog had constituted a group of Chief Ministers to give recommendations on developmental issues. A major recommendation of the group was that in respect of the central sector schemes, States should be given flexibility to design of modify the schemes based on their needs and conditions to ensure maximum benefit to the people… With much pain and anguish, let me point out that such an important recommendation has been kept aside and on the contrary, I find the Centre micro-managing the schemes, giving a complete go by to State-specific needs which are best left to individual States,” KCR’s letter stated.