‘INDIA bloc has issue with makers of Budget’: Shehzad Poonawalla on boycott of NITI Aayog meet

New Delhi [India], July 27 (ANI): The Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla sharply criticised the opposition parties for choosing to boycott the NITI Aayog meeting on Saturday.

He argued that the INDIA bloc consistently opposes anything beneficial for the country, suggesting that their issue wasn’t with the budget itself but with those who prepared it.

In a self-made video, Shehzad Poonawalla said, “The INDIA Alliance is boycotting the NITI Aayog meeting today because they want to oppose the idea of a ‘Viksit Bharat’. The alliance consistently opposes anything that falls in the best interests of the country.”

“Everyone has seen it. After they boycotted Constitution Day and the Independence Day event, they are now boycotting the NITI Aayog meeting today. However, even in this, there is a break in the alliance as West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee is set to make her presence at the meet,” he said.

“RJD claims that Bihar received ‘jhunjhuna’ while other parties in the INDIA bloc say that the state received everything, claiming they received all, the pakoda and the jalebi. Now who do we listen to in this context?” said Poonawalla.

He added, “Mamata Banerjee is clearly sending a message to the alliance parties, especially the Congress, suggesting that there will be no dictatorship by the grand old party.”

The BJP spokesperson further said that there is competition amongst the alliance parties of the INDIA bloc, wherein they all fight to be seen as leaders of the bloc, following which they make all such statements.

“Budget se inko koi samasya nahi hai; budget banane wale se samasya hai,” said Poonawalla.

He added that the opposition parties are competing to demonstrate who can most effectively oppose Prime Minister Modi, who prepared the budget.

“Uttar Pradesh received 2 lakh 23,000 crore, and West Bengal received over 93,000 crore.”

“The funds that West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, and Tamil Nadu used to receive under the UPA government are now significantly exceeded by the amount allocated to them by the current NDA administration,” he stated.

Meanwhile, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee alleged “political discrimination” at the NITI Aayog meeting held in the national capital, stating that her microphone was muted and she was not allowed to speak for more than five minutes while other chief ministers were given more time.

“I said you (the central government) should not discriminate against state governments. I wanted to speak but my mic was muted. I was allowed to speak only for 5 minutes. People before me spoke for 10-20 minutes,” Banerjee told reporters after she stormed out of the NITI Aayog meeting today.

“I was the only one from the opposition who was participating, but still, I was not allowed to speak. This is insulting,” Banerjee said as she walked out midway through the meeting.

Before leaving for Delhi today, the All India Trinamool Congress Chairman said, “I will protest against the political discrimination being done with Bengal in the NITI Aayog meeting. In the budget, the way they have discriminated against Bengal and the other opposition states, we can’t agree to that.”

The Trinamool supremo further stated that the BJP ministers and leaders’ attitude is such that they want to divide Bengal while also imposing economic and geographical blockades on the state.

“The attitude of their ministers and BJP leaders is such that they want to divide Bengal. Along with the economic blockade, they also want to impose a geographical blockade. The Minister said this while Parliament was in process. Different leaders are making different statements to divide Jharkhand, Bihar, Assam, and Bengal. We strongly condemn this attitude,” she said.

She further stated that dividing Bengal means dividing the nation. She mentioned that she will record her voice at the meeting, and if they won’t let her, she will protest and leave.

“Dividing Bengal means dividing our country, India. We want to record our voice in this situation, and I will be present there to do so. I will try to record my voice if they let me, or else I will protest and leave,” she said.

Chief ministers of opposition-led states boycotted the NITI Aayog meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

On Wednesday, the Chief Minister of Punjab, Bhagwant Mann, and the Chief Minister of Telangana, Revanth Reddy, said that their governments will boycott the NITI Aayog in protest against the central government’s alleged injustice to the states in the allocation of funds in the 2024 Union Budget.