The CPI(M) politburo on Friday termed Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s announcement to create Niti Aayog as a “regressive step” and said this new body would provide control to “market forces” in governance. In a statement, the party said this move exposes the Modi Government’s ideological conviction on allowing private sector to use public resources.
“The announcement of a Niti Aayog to replace the Planning Commission is a regressive step which will further push the country into a market-driven economy and privatisation in all spheres at the expense of diluting even the present inadequate schemes aimed at improving people’s welfare. Whatever role the Planning Commission had to allocate resources for the public sector and deploying public investment keeping in mind the regional disparities has now ended.
“The old Planning Commission was an instrument of the Central Government with the States having no say in the allocation of resources. However, the Modi Government’s claim that new set-up will be based on cooperative federalism with the states as stake-holders is a spurious one. The National Development Council is replaced by a Governing Council which is a powerless body of a think-tank. That think tank will be under the Prime Minister and the PMO. This is a centralised unitarian structure,” said CPI(M). The left party alleged the creation of the new body would allow political whims and fancies of Centre in allocation of resources to States.