"Dangerous, divisive federalism": BJP's CR Kesavan on Opposition boycotting NITI Aayog meeting

Chennai (Tamil Nadu) [India], July 27 : Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader CR Kesavan slammed the opposition for boycotting the NITI Aayog meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi saying that they are indulging in "dangerous, divisive federalism."
"The obstructive opposition, with its shameful boycott, is indulging in dangerous, divisive federalism. They are betraying the very spirit of cooperative federalism, wrecking the well-being and harming the interest of the respective states and people by trying to use them as political pawns," Kesavan said speaking in a video statement on Saturday.
"This is not just irresponsible or untenable, the opposition's behaviour is undemocratic," he added.
Kesavan said that while Prime Minister Narendra Modi prioritises 'desh' (country) over everything else, the INDIA bloc prioritises "hatred".
"The fundamental difference between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the crooked Congress and the INDI alliance is this. For the prime minister, 'desh' comes first comes first. But for the INDI alliance, hatred comes first," the BJP leader said.
Kesavan said that while PM Modi wants to build a consensus, the opposition is fixated on the "negative politics of disruption."
"While the prime minister is trying to set aside differences and forge a consensus to ensure that the well-being of our people is secure, the opposition is playing the confrontational and negative politics of disruption and division. This is very unfortunate....," the BJP leader said.
All INDIA bloc chief ministers except for West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool supremo Mamata Banerjee will be attending the meet.
Notably, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin first announced the boycott in Chennai. Following this, the Congress said its chief ministers, including Himachal Pradesh's Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu, Karnataka's Siddaramaiah and Telangana's Revanth Reddy, would skip the meeting.
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)-led Punjab government, while expressing solidarity with the INDIA bloc, has decided that Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann will not attend the Niti Aayog meeting.
Along with Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann, Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren and Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan are also expected to give the meeting a miss.
But as a surprise, West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee arrived in Delhi to attend the NITI Aayog meet.
Mamata Banerjee said she would be protesting against the political discrimination meted out to Bengal at the NITI Aayog meeting in Delhi on Saturday, July 27.