12 CMs skip PM Modi's NITI Aayog meet

In a fresh bid to derail Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led NDA government's economic reform agenda, nine chief ministers from the Congress Party, which has led the opposition attack on the contentious land bill, have boycotted the NITI Aayog meet.

In a post meeting press conference, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said, "Chief Ministers who missed the meeting should really introspect on the issue."

Among the other chief ministers who missed the meeting are West Bengal's Mamata Banerjee, Odisha's Naveen Patnaik and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav. Tamil Nadu's J Jayalalithaa also skipped the meeting and was represented by her trusted aide and former chief minister, O Paneerselvam.

This is the second meeting of the Governing Council of the Niti Aayog. The council, which comprises all chief ministers and Lt Governors of Union Territories, is headed by the Prime Minister.

The council  reviewed the work done by three sub-groups of chief ministers and two task forces under the NITI Aayog.

The government had constituted three sub-groups of chief ministers under the NITI Aayog on Centrally Sponsored Schemes (CSS), Skill Development and Swachh Bharat Abhiyan which are led by Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu respectively.

The two task forces on poverty and agriculture are being headed by NITI Aayog Vice-Chairman Arvind Panagariya. These sub-groups and task forces are working on the responsibilities entrusted to them and are in the process of submitting their reports.

The land bill was one of the key issues which had brought the Opposition together in the last session of Parliament. After days of strident protests, including a Congress-led march that was attended by all opposition parties, the bill was referred to a joint committee of Parliament for detailed examination.

The Centre has been unable to get the amendments passed by Parliament in the three-month long Budget Session and was forced to re-issue the Ordinance twice. Knowing that the amendments would be defeated in the Rajya Sabha, where the NDA is in minority, the land bill was referred to a Joint Committee of Parliament.