The recent NITI Aayog meet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi saw an unusual absence of three southern chief ministers. Karnataka, Kerala, and Puducherry leaders did not attend the key session in New Delhi. Meanwhile, the chief ministers of Tamil Nadu, Telangana, and Andhra Pradesh were present.
This NITI Aayog Governing Council meeting, themed ‘Viksit Rajya for Viksit Bharat@2047,’ is a major platform where state leaders discuss development goals directly with the Prime Minister. Yet, the absence of some southern CMs raised eyebrows across political lines.
The CM of Karnataka, Siddaramaiah, a Congress leader, had a prior engagement in Mysuru. He sent his speech for someone else to read at the meet. Kerala’s CM Pinarayi Vijayan, from the CPI(M), did not attend either.
He deputed his finance minister, K N Balagopal, to represent Kerala. Similarly, Puducherry CM N Rangasamy, who leads an NDA coalition, skipped the meeting without any official explanation.
But Andhra Pradesh’s Chandrababu Naidu, Tamil Nadu’s M K Stalin, and Telangana’s Revanth Reddy made it to the capital. These three are from different political parties, but all chose to engage with the Prime Minister at this crucial forum.
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The NITI Aayog Governing Council is where ideas for India’s future growth take shape. A lack of attendance could slow down the flow of ideas and funding.
Still, the meeting had its share of drama. Stalin’s presence drew criticism from rival AIADMK leaders in Tamil Nadu. Edappadi K Palaniswami accused Stalin of attending for “family benefit” rather than the state’s welfare. But Stalin himself was firm: he came to demand fair funds for Tamil Nadu. “I will get funds through struggle,” he said, signaling a fight for his state’s rights.
Interestingly, Pinarayi Vijayan has a history of sending his minister to such meetings rather than attending himself. Last year, he also sent Balagopal to the NITI Aayog meet. That’s politics for you—sometimes attendance is symbolic, sometimes it’s tactical.
NITI Aayog’s Governing Council includes all state chief ministers, lieutenant governors of Union Territories, and Union ministers. PM Modi, as its chairman, uses this forum to shape policies that aim for a developed India by 2047.
This meeting was the first major gathering of PM Modi with all states’ CMs after Operation Sindoor, a recent government initiative. Despite some absences, the dialogue between the Centre and states continues.
If anything, the mixed attendance shows the complex dance of Indian federalism—states balancing local politics and national ambitions.
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