KCR to boycott NITI Aayog meeting in protest against Centre's 'discrimination' against states

Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao on Saturday announced boycott of a NITI Aayog meeting scheduled for Sunday as a mark of “strong protest” against the “present trend” of the Narendra Modi government to “discriminate” against states and not treating them as “equal partners in the collective effort” to make India a “strong and developed country”.

In a four-page letter to Prime Minister Modi, the TRS chief said the “unpleasant happenings” have given rise to an “inescapable realisation” that the federal structure is being “systematically eroded” by “some deliberate actions” by the union government.

Rao cited “irresponsible utterances” by some leaders on use of bulldozers, encounter killings, 80:20 ratio to talk about Hindus and Muslims, “one-sided” decision to bring farm laws and power reforms, proposal to change rules for civil servants, inability to resolve water disputes and levy cess as an indirect tax depriving states their legitimate share in revenue as some of the reasons for his decision to skip the meeting.

“I do not find it useful to attend the 7th Governing Council meeting of NITI Aayog…,” he said.

He alleged that after seven years of its functioning, it is now clear that the objective of NITI Aayog was observed more in breach. “The Centre’s actions show that the initiative has gone astray as states are not included as equal partners in the national development agenda,” he said.

Rao, who is at loggerheads with the BJP after its attempt to emerge as a counter to the TRS in Telangana and dislodge his government, said the “blatant discrimination” against some states even in the legitimate functions assigned to them in the Constitution leaves much to be desired.

Referring to a recommendation of NITI Aayog’s Group of Chief Ministers on developmental issues that states should have flexibility in designing or modifying the central schemes to suit their needs, he said, “with much pain and anguish, let me point out that such an important recommendation has been kept aside…”

On the contrary, he said, he finds the Centre “micromanaging” the schemes, giving a “complete go-by” to the state-specific needs which are best left to individual states. He also referred to NITI Aayog’s Telangana-specific recommendations on Mission Kakatiya aimed at restoring minor irrigation tanks, and Mission Bhagiratha for providing drinking water.

Rao alleged that the Centre not only ignored these recommendations but also did not release any money for the schemes, forcing the state to complete it using its own resources. 

“When the facts are like this, the Centre had unabashedly issued statements taking credit for the achievements of Telangana by claiming that Telangana is one of the states which provides drinking water to every household under the banner of Jal Jeevan Mission, a central scheme,” he wrote to Modi.

Noting that the erstwhile Planning Commission used to have interactive discussion with states on annual plan, he said, “now there is neither a plan, nor any involvement of states and clearly NITI Aayog and its meetings serve no constructive purpose.”

“The rigormole of NITI Aayog meetings leave little scope for a meaningful dialogue, as participating Chief Ministers are given hardly a few minutes to speak and express their views, thereby not giving any scope to discuss anything in detail,” he added.