Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann to boycott NITI Aayog meeting on Jul 27

Chandigarh: Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Thursday said he will boycott the NITI Aayog meeting, which is to be chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on July 27.

Mann also slammed the BJP-led NDA government for withholding the state's funds, including rural development fund and those under the National Health Mission.

Addressing the media in Jalandhar, Mann took on the Centre over the issue of the union budget, which was presented by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on July 23, and said Punjab did not find any mention in it.

"Punjab should have been given the special status. But the situation is such that Punjab's rights have also not been given. That is why we will boycott the NITI Aayog meeting in which all the chief ministers have been called by the prime minister on July 27," Mann said.

"We know their intention. They have withheld our rural development fund, which is about Rs 6,000 crore. They have withheld our National Health Mission funds. They do not give (state's) share in the GST. Whenever they need to deduct any funds, they do it from Punjab's funds. Then what will we do there (NITI Ayog meeting)," he said.

Referring to the union budget, Mann said, "Punjab was not mentioned in the budget. Nothing was said about our farmers."