Thiruvananthapuram:  All eyes are on the forthcoming NITI Aayog meeting, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, as four chief ministers have already declared their intention to boycott it in protest against the Union Budget.

The chief ministers of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Telangana, and Himachal Pradesh have publicly stated that they will not attend the July 27 meeting in the national capital.

The question now circulating in Kerala is whether Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan will join the boycott, given his own criticism of the Union Budget. Soon after Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman presented the budget, Vijayan criticised the Centre, stating that while he would not complain about some states receiving more funds, he would speak out about states like Kerala being ignored. He asserted that such an oversight hampers Kerala's future development.

Interestingly, the Congress top brass in Kerala has frequently criticised Vijayan for not speaking out against PM Modi over the past eight years, while he has been vocal against other leaders, such as Union Home Minister Amit Shah. During the Lok Sabha election campaign, top Congress leaders attacked Vijayan for criticising their senior leader and MP Rahul Gandhi while remaining silent on Modi.

With the NITI Aayog meeting approaching, all eyes are now on Vijayan to see if he will participate or join the list of boycotting CMs. IANS