Anti-Nehruvianism behind plan panel renaming: Congress

NEW DELHI: Congress today suggested " anti- Nehruvianism" and "anti-Congressism" behind the government's decision of restructuring and renaming the Planning Commission as " Niti Aayog".

"Constructive reform of Pl Comm vs alteration of identity & basic structure cos of anti nehruvianism & congism: support former nt latter," party spokesperson Abhishek Singhvi tweeted.

In another post on Twitter, he said, "Mere name change from yojana aayog to Niti not objectionable if coupled with real reform. Else purely cosmetic like earlier naming ceremonies."

His remarks came hours after it was announced that the Planning Commission, which was established in 1950, will be called 'Neeti Ayog' in its new avatar, months after prime minister Narendra Modi announced that it will replaced by a new body.

The decision also comes nearly three weeks after Modi held consultations with chief ministers at a meeting where most favoured restructuring of the Socialist-era body but some Congress chief ministers opposed disbanding of the existing set-up.

Modi had announced in his Independence Day speech that the Planning Commission would be replaced by a new body which is in sync with the contemporary economic world.

Former union minister Manish Tewari and a former Congress spokesperson saw "fluff and not substance" in the government's decision.

"If government wants to greet people with fluff and not substance on the first day of 2015, then there is nothing more that can be said. If the North Block or the finance ministry has a very short-term view of both fiscal and monetary objective, it is going to be the final arbiter between the states and the Centre."

"It being the stake holder in the process, I am afraid, is going to discriminate against the states," Tewari said.

"After all, what was the Planning Commission doing? It used to plan policy. So by changing the nomenclature from Planning Commission to Neeti Ayog, what is the message this government is trying to send," he said.

"It's not a question of fighting a war, it's a matter of principle. The opposition BJP used to go to extra lengths talking about federalism and how the sanctity of federalism has to be maintained. And now they are going exactly the reverse (way)," he said.