Former Puducherry BJP president criticises CM Rangasamy for skipping NITI Aayog meeting

Former president of the Puducherry unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) V. Saminathan has criticised Chief Minister N. Rangasamy for abstaining from the recently held Governing Council meeting of NITI Aayog in New Delhi.

In a statement on Monday (May 26, 2025), he said that the Chief Minister had missed an important opportunity to raise the Union Territory’s demands. He added that it was not prudent to abstain from the meeting, despite being in an alliance with the BJP.

Puducherry CM Rangasamy skips NITI Aayog meeting this year too

“Even Chief Ministers of Opposition-ruled States attended the meeting. There was no point in the Chief Minister speaking about Statehood and other issues faced by the UT by sitting in Puducherry. He should speak about them at the appropriate forum. The NITI Aayog meeting was an opportunity for him to raise important subjects,” Mr. Saminathan said. 

The territory was lagging in several development initiatives because of the policies of the previous Congress government, he said, adding it was very important for the government to continuously engage with the Centre for the progress of the UT. 

Mr. Saminathan also criticised the Chief Minister for his statement asking educated youth to take up dairy farming. “There is no farm land available for cattle rearing because of the conversion of agriculture land for real estate business,” he added.