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Journalism of Courage
Questioning the “purpose” of NITI Aayog, Congress chief Rahul Gandhi on Friday alleged that the commission was only “making marketing presentations for Prime Minister Narendra Modi” and that the Congress would “scrap” the body if it came to power.
Taking to Twitter, Gandhi said, “If voted to power, we will scrap the NITI Aayog. It has served no purpose other than making marketing presentations for the PM and fudging data.”
Suggesting an alternative, the Congress leader said that the body will be replaced by a “Planning Commission” with less than 100 members. “We will replace it with a lean Planning Commission whose members will be renowned economists and experts with less than 100 staff,” he said.
The Congress leader’s remarks came days after the commission’s vice chairman Rajiv Kumar criticised the party’s announcement on minimum basic income a guarantee as a poll promise. “It’s an old pattern followed by Congress. They say and do anything to win elections. Poverty was removed in 1966. One Rank One Pension was later implemented and everyone was given proper education under the Right to Education Act. So you see, they (Congress) can say and do anything,” the NITI Aayog official was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.
Seeking a response in this regard, the Election Commission has asked the official to explain why he made the remarks while the Model Code of Conduct is in force. The poll panel today sought a response by April 5.
