Mayawati Accuses Centre of Bias in Budget Allocation

BSP Chief Mayawati criticized the central government for insufficient budget funds to Uttar Pradesh, supporting opposition protests against alleged bias. She questioned the fairness of the budget, urging the Centre to prioritize national interest over political gain as non-NDA states plan to boycott the NITI Aayog meeting.

BSP Chief Mayawati on Thursday accused the central government of not allocating sufficient funds to Uttar Pradesh in this year's budget. She supported the protests and anger shown by opposition parties, who alleged the 2024 budget presented an imbalance favoring certain states for politically motivated gains.

In a social media post on X, Mayawati remarked, 'In the budget presented by the NDA government in the Parliament, anger and protest against discrimination, bias, and imbalance between states for political gains rather than national and public interest is natural. Such step-motherly treatment by the Centre is nothing new today. BSP has also faced this in UP.'

Mayawati also endorsed the decision by non-BJP-ruled states to abstain from participating in the NITI Aayog meeting. She questioned the government's fairness, emphasizing the significance of addressing the needs of a populous and underdeveloped state like UP. She said, 'The non-BJP ruled states that are unhappy with the Union Budget have decided not to participate in the NITI Aayog meeting. The Centre needs to give priority to the country and public interest.'

Earlier, some Chief Ministers from non-NDA states announced a boycott of the NITI Aayog meeting, scheduled for July 27, citing unfair fund allocation in this year's budget. MK Stalin said, 'While the budget includes announcements for BJP-ruled states, there's no guarantee these funds will materialize, just as Tamil Nadu has been deprived of funds for the Chennai Metro for three years. The words 'Tamil' or 'Tamil Nadu' do not appear in the budget speech even once. In light of this blatant neglect, I have decided to boycott the NITI Aayog meeting on July 27.'

(With inputs from agencies.)