BHUBANESWAR: The opposition BJP and Congress lashed out at chief minister Naveen Patnaik for the latter’s decision to skip the NITI Aayog meet that held in New Delhi under the chairmanship of Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday.Briefing reporters here, Union tribal affairs minister Jual Oram said the chief minister is not following the Constitution of India in true letter and spirit.“Naveen Babu has become the chief minister by taking the oath of the Constitution of India. But he seems to have forgotten his constitutional obligations by not attending the NITI meeting. He is focusing more on his party affairs. This is not a good sign for Odisha ,” Jual told reporters here.Naveen’s decision to skip the NITI Aayog meet had also not gone down well with the Congress. Hitting out at the chief minister, state Congress president Niranjan Patnaik said the chief minister’s move proved that he is not ready to raise issues pertaining to state’s interest in right forum.“NITI Aayog is a highest forum in our country where chief ministers of various states join to discuss issues related to their states. It is the best forum to place states of our states. If he skips the meeting, on which forum he will raise the issues of Odisha’s interest,” Niranjan said.Stating that Naveen’s West Bengal counterpart Mamata Banerjee also attended the meet despite his differences with BJP, Niranjan said will Naveen also tell his MPs not to attend Parliament sessions. “His policies are very unclear,” the Congress chief said.Though the BJD clarified Naveen’s move saying the chief minister could not attend the meeting due to prior engagements in the state, a section within the BJD said the BJD president’s decision was in view of the national political scenario and to strike a balance between the ruling and opposition groups.“Ever since the third front debate has triggered, chief ministers of four states have been taking on the NDA government. They had even visited the residence of Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal’s residence to show solidarity to his protest. Had Naveen been in Delhi, he could have faced an awkward situation,” said a senior political observer.The observer said had he been sided with the four chief ministers, he could have invited the wrath of BJP leadership.BJD spokesperson and Rajya Sabha member Pratap Deb said NITI Aayog is not a constitutional forum. “The chief minister has communicated his decision to the Prime Minister. Besides, the state government has also sent his points on issues to be discussed at the meet. There is no truth in opposition allegations,” said Deb.Earlier, the chief minister had attended the governing council meeting of the NITI Aayog and placed several issues.

Stay updated with all the Latest Bhubaneswar headlines here. For more exclusive & live news updates from all around India, stay connected with NYOOOZ.