The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) protested against the Centre on Saturday across Tamil Nadu, claiming that the state was overlooked in the Union Budget 2024. The protest comes ahead of the 9th NITI Aayog Governing Council meeting, which will be headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the Rashtrapati Bhavan Cultural Centre in the national capital. Earlier, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin slammed the Bharatiya Janata Party administration over the Union Budget, saying that the budget appears to be a "vengeful act" against the states and people who boycotted the BJP.
Vanakkam! I was meant to attend the 'NITI Aayog' meeting, which is now being conducted in Delhi and chaired by the Prime Minister. However, I am obligated to appear before you in the people's forum to seek justice because of the discriminatory attitude toward Tamil Nadu exhibited in the Union Budget 2024, Stalin stated. You are all well aware of the progressive and ambitious projects executed by your Dravidian Model Government in Tamil Nadu over the last three years! Our government initiatives immediately assist every family--every person! This is why the DMK continues to succeed! 'New schemes emerge every day, filling people's hearts with excitement. This is the motto of our government! Nonetheless, the Union Government continues to engage in measures that are antithetical to our progressive ideas, Stalin stated. The Tamil Nadu Chief Minister went on to say that the Union government continues to disrespect Tamil Nadu.
On Tuesday, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman presented the Union Budget 2024-25, making substantial promises for Bihar and Andhra Pradesh, including infrastructure investments. Notably, on Thursday, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Stalin was the first to announce his decision to boycott the Niti Ayog conference. Following this, the Congress said that its chief ministers, including Himachal Pradesh's Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu, Karnataka's Siddaramaiah, and Telangana's Revanth Reddy, would not attend the meeting. The topic of this year's NITI Aayog meeting is 'Viksit Bharat@2047', with a key focus on making India a developed nation. The Governing Council Meeting will review the Approach Paper for the Vision Document Viksit Bharat @2047. The gathering aims to develop participatory governance and collaboration between central and state governments, improving the quality of life for both rural and urban communities by increasing the delivery mechanisms of government interventions.
