Mamata Banerjee Pushes to Abolish Niti Aayog, Reinstates Planning Commission

Mamata Banerjee Advocates for Planning Commission’s Return

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has demanded the abolition of Niti Aayog, calling for the reinstatement of the Planning Commission. Her remarks come as she prepares to attend the Niti Aayog meeting scheduled for July 27.

Criticism of Niti Aayog

Banerjee has criticized Niti Aayog for its perceived lack of authority and ineffective coordination with state governments. She stated, “Remove Niti Aayog, bring back the Planning Commission. It had a structure; it built infrastructure in the country. The Planning Commission was the idea of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose.”

Ineffectiveness of Niti Aayog

According to Banerjee, Niti Aayog lacks the powers and cooperative framework that were integral to the Planning Commission’s operations. She noted, “Niti Aayog has no powers. It doesn’t work in coordination with the state governments.”

Concerns Over Bias and Economic Blockade

Banerjee also expressed concerns regarding the perceived bias in the Niti Aayog’s approach. She criticized the organization for allegedly conducting an economic blockade against states governed by the INDIA bloc. “It is supposed to be cooperative federalism, but they are biased. They are conducting an economic blockade of INDIA bloc-governed states,” Banerjee remarked.

Questioning the Need for Niti Aayog Meetings

The Chief Minister questioned the necessity of attending Niti Aayog meetings, arguing that such meetings are redundant. “Essentially, there is no need to come to NITI Aayog meeting,” she asserted.

Critique of the Government Budget

Banerjee has also taken aim at the government’s Budget, labeling it “anti-people, anti-poor, and politically biased.” She accused the ruling party of using the Budget to create divisions among states such as Bihar, Jharkhand, and Bengal. “They used to talk about ‘tukde-tukde’ during the elections, now they are dividing the country,” she said.

Predictions on NDA Government Stability

Regarding the stability of the NDA government, Banerjee predicted infighting and a lack of genuine public mandate. “They have formed the government, but they don’t have the people’s mandate. If you look at public mandate; INDIA bloc parties have 51 percent voter share together and the NDA has 46% vote share,” she claimed. “The NDA government will fall with infighting. They will fight amongst themselves. Just wait and watch.”

Alliance Politics and BJP’s Commitment

Finally, Banerjee suggested that the BJP’s involvement in alliance politics is driven more by necessity than genuine commitment. She contended that the BJP is participating in alliances out of compulsion rather than true dedication to collaborative politics.