We attended meet... sans a clue on agenda: Mamata

 One of the aspects with which they all were dissatisfied with was the way the panel had been formed. Sources claimed that the agenda had been set keeping in mind the upcoming Assembly polls and that the BJP-ruling states and their allies were getting undue attention because of this.

Home Minister Rajnath Singh was chosen to lead this committee in consultation with all the states but the real question emerged as to why only the memberships of Chief Ministers of Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Chattisgarh, Rajasthan and Andhra Pradesh were given the priority.

After the meeting on Saturday, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee asserted that: “The agenda of the Inter-state Council meet was not even discussed with us. There is no platform for states to put forth their opinion. We were not asked about the agenda of the Inter-state 

Council meet.”

She also raised the issue of abolition of the Planning Commission during the meeting. According to her, before the finalisation of any plan or scheme, an elaborate discussion used to be held with the Chief Ministers but now, only select issues are deliberated in the sub-groups under the Niti Aayog.

Banerjee also mentioned that co-operative federalism demanded extensive interaction between the Centre and the states in suitable platforms where all issues could be sorted out in the best possible manner, keeping both interests in mind.

She also drew attention to the finances of the states where she mentioned that Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh were facing worse financial crisis than West Bengal. On this context, she urged Prime Minister Modi to form a Committee with CMs of the relevant states. In a federal polity, this is more vital over all other Centre-state matters, she added.

On the issue of providing statutory status to Aadhaar in order to ensure that benefits of the government subsidies directly reach the needy and the poor after Budget 2016-17, she said: “I said that you are going to make Aadhaar cards compulsory, do you know that in our place there is no bank in 800 panchayats? If there are no banks and post offices, then how will you make direct benefit transfer possible?”

Amid discussions on cross-border tension and states’ internal strife, she sought the Centre’s co-operation to resolve security concerns in Bengal, following the recent terror attack 

in Bangladesh. 

Bengal, which shares the longest 2,217 km border with Bangladesh, illegal immigration from the neighbouring state has long been a concern for the Union government. Moreover, on the law and order of the state, Banerjee said: “Law and order is a state subject. Interfering in law and order is not right.”