The Chief Ministers of Tamil Nadu and Karnataka are set to boycott the July 27 NITI Aayog meet in Delhi as a way of condemning the Union Budget.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will chair the NITI Aayog meet in the national capital.
WHAT TAMIL NADU CM SAID
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin said that Tamil Nadu has been completely ignored in the Union Budget 2024-25, adding that to condemn it, he will boycott the NITI Aayog meet.
Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) MP's will also stage a protest in Delhi on July 24 over the Union Budget, "In order to establish Tamil Nadu's rights, we will continue to fight in the people's court."
The southern state's opposition, AIADMK, said that the budget was a "big disappointment" in all aspects and claimed that it was prepared "only to satisfy" the states ruled by BJP allies.
In his apparent reference to Bihar and Andhra Pradesh, Stalin told reporters that schemes for a few states have been announced to satisfy a few regional parties that made "minority BJP" into "majority BJP".
AIADMK chief Edappadi K Palaniswami also expressed displeasure over the DMK and its allies not taking any steps to ensure any projects for the state.
"It was also disappointing that despite the people sending 39 MPs from the DMK camp to the Parliament, the ruling party and allies have not ensured any initiative to the state," Palaniswami said in a statement here.
Tamil Nadu finance minister Thangam Thennarasu also accused the Centre of consistently ignoring the state's demands raised by CM Stalin on numerous issues.
"It is true that Tamil Nadu has been betrayed. Though the Centre has been lavish in allocating funds to several states, it has not accepted the demands of our Chief Minister," Thennarasu was quoted as saying by news agency PTI.
WHAT KARNATAKA CM SAID
Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah also said on Tuesday that his government has decided to boycott the NITI Aayog meeting in the national capital on July 27, as a mark of protest against the "neglect" of the state's needs in the Union Budget.
He said that since Kannadigas are not heard, there is no point in attending the NITI Aayog meeting. "Despite my earnest efforts in calling for an all-party MPs meeting in New Delhi to discuss Karnataka's essential needs, the Union Budget has neglected our state's demands,” Siddaramaiah said.
In a post on X, he said, "Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, who also attended the meeting, has ignored the concerns of the people of Karnataka. We don't feel that Kannadigas are heard, and hence there is no point in attending the NITI Aayog meeting."
The CM said that the even the demands of the farmers, seeking to approve the Mekedatu and Mahadayi projects have been ignored, adding that, "There was no attempt to rectify their sin of reducing funds to our state under various categories.”
Funds for metro and other infra projects are still a distant dream, Siddaramaiah said.
The Karnataka CM alleged that Modi is not able to see any other states than Andhra Pradesh and Bihar as "his eyes are on the position of Prime Minister".
"His agenda is exposed in front of the people. We hope the people of our state stand with us in our fight for justice,” he added.
Siddaramaiah, had also termed the budget to be "disappointing", adding that the state was expecting Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman to do justice in the state and protect the interests of the state. However, he said, she has disappointed and done injustice to the people of Karnataka.
