NEW DELHI: Calling the NITI Aayog an “Ayogya body”, the Congress on Saturday hit out at the Centre and said the NITI Aayog meeting was yet another exercise in “hypocrisy and diversion”.
Congress general secretary in-charge communications, Jairam Ramesh, said the governing council of the NITI Aayog will meet under the chairmanship of Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday to reportedly review the progress on the so-called ‘Viksit Bharat’ goal.
“What sort of Viksit Bharat will it be if those in power themselves destroy the bonds of social harmony by their malicious words and deeds,” Ramesh asked in a post on X.
The Congress leader continued, “What sort of Viksit Bharat will it be if those in power subvert Parliament, judiciary, universities, media, and Constitutional and statutory authorities to fulfill their nefarious goals?
“What sort of Viksit Bharat will it be if the values that India always stood for are systematically assaulted in full glare of the world?
“What sort of Viksit Bharat will it be with sharpening economic disparities and inequalities even as wealth continues to accumulate in the hands of a few?”
Ramesh also asked what sort of Viksit Bharat will it be if India’s glorious diversities are “deliberately sought to be insulted and erased”.
“What sort of Viksit Bharat is it where not only is freedom of speech under threat but freedom after speech is also endangered,” he asked.
“Today’s meeting of the NITI Aayog – an ‘Ayogya’ body if ever there was one – is yet another exercise in hypocrisy and diversion,” Ramesh alleged.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will on Saturday chair the 10th governing council meeting of the NITI Aayog, which will focus on states, with a view to make India a developed nation by 2047, an official statement said.
The theme of the meeting is ‘Viksit Rajya for Viksit Bharat@2047’. It will be the first major meeting of the Prime Minister with the chief ministers of all the states and Union Territories after Operation Sindoor.
“In line with his commitment to take all the states together as ‘Team India’ for a Viksit Bharat, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will chair the 10th Governing Council meeting of NITI Aayog on May 24, 2025.
“The Governing Council meeting will discuss the approach on Viksit Rajya for Viksit Bharat @2047,” NITI Aayog said in a statement.
The idea of Viksit Rajya for Viksit Bharat is a call for states to craft bold, long-term, and inclusive vision documents aligned with national priorities yet grounded in local realities, the statement said.
“These visions must include time-bound targets,” it said.
The statement also said that states must leverage their unique geographic and demographic advantages while focusing on human development, economic growth, sustainability, technology, and governance reforms.