Why did Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah skip ‘very important’ Niti Aayog meet? No one has a clue

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s ‘unexplained’ absence from the Niti Aayog meeting in Delhi on Saturday, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has drawn flak from the Opposition BJP and JDS while adding a layer of mystery to his action.

The CMs of the neighboring Opposition-ruled states Revanth Reddy of Telangana and MK Stalin of Tamil Nadu attended the meeting. Kerala’s Pinarayi Vijayan skipping the event was known beforehand, but no one has a clue why Siddaramaiah chose to tour Mysuru, not visit Delhi. Neither the Congress nor CM’s Cabinet colleagues and advisers offered a reason. “There was no specific reason,” a minister told ET.

Stalin made full use of the opportunity presenting the PM with a long list of demands highlighting their urgency for Tamil Nadu. In Bengaluru, the government released the CM’s speech that was “shared” with the participants. “Although I am unable to attend in person in this very important meeting, it is an honour to share my thoughts on the significant topic of India at 2047 and Karnataka’s role in nation building,” he said in his 16-page speech copy.

BJP state president BY Vijayendra demanded an explanation from the CM for skipping the event. “Was it a boycott? Did he think it was not important?” Vijayendra said, speaking to the media in Mysuru.

The main agenda was to discuss the transformation of India into a developed nation by 2047, and the PM looked for inputs from the states, he said and accused Siddaramaiah of prioritizing politics over development. The CM’s display of confrontation with the Centre would not benefit the state, he warned.

Opposition leader R Ashoka (BJP) wondered why Siddaramaiah chose public life as a career when he had no time for engaging himself in activities related to the development of his state. He has time for holding an event in Hospet, to meet the party high command and to watch a cricket match, but no time to attend Niti Aayog meet, he said.

Union Heavy Industries Minister HD Kumaraswamy said the CM must work closely with the Centre in a federal system of governance and stay away from politics when it comes to the issues of state’s development.

Mysuru-Kodagu MP Yaduveer Wadiyar said his state missed a crucial opportunity to present the state’s priorities. Some Congress leaders, as usual, continued to criticize NITI Aayog rather than engaging constructively.

“Instead of working with the Centre, the Karnataka Congress government complains before the media about tax devolution, while sidelining genuine developmental efforts,” he posted on X.

PM Modi, Wadiyar said, was leading the nation with the vision of building a developed India by working in the spirit of Team India. “Sadly, the current state leadership seems to have forgotten the path of development & is stepping back from supporting federal cooperation, choosing instead to criticize the nation's progress.”