Government decision to replace Planning Commission kneejerk, half-baked: Congress

NEW DELHI: Congress on Tuesday described NDA regime’s “unilateral decision to dismantle” the Planning Commission “as a body blow to the principle of federalism” and demanded that the Centre discuss its plans first with states, CMs and at a meeting of the National Development Council.

The main Opposition party has also wondered the logic of the PM “first announcing the decision to dismantle the Commission from his Red Fort address,” and then “tweeting to invite suggestions on what to do with the Commission”. Senior AICC spokesperson Anand Sharma termed the Centre’s move on the plan body as “kneejerk and half-baked decision” and favoured a “restructuring instead of dismantling” of the plan panel.

“Making an arbitrary announcement to scrap Planning Commission without putting in place an alternative model first is totally wrong,” Sharma said at a press conference.

Sharma added that Modi frequently talked about federal issues and respecting states and hence in this issue, he should have first taken their suggestions. “He has done exactly the opposite by unilaterally announcing a decision to replace the plan panel without seeking the views of the states,” Sharma said.

Recalling Modi’s predecessor Manmohan Singh had underlined the need to “re-orient the Planning Commission” to make it keep pace with changing times, Sharma asked the PM, “to place before the nation” details of a 15-page note former Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Montek Singh Ahluwallia had prepared for reorienting the Commission.

Sharma has also felt that Modi plans to rid off Planning Commission was borne out of “his antipathy to Jawaharlal Nehru and his institutionsbuilding contributions.”

Maintaining that Modi’s plan to “dismantle” the Planning Commission was “part of the efforts to centralise all powers.” Sharma asked whether the Centre was trying to follow what China has done – “to change their Planning Commission in such a way as to give the polit bureau all powers to decide”.

When pointed out that former FM P Chidambaram too had favoured downsizing of the Planning Commission, Sharma said, “there is a difference between restructuring and dismantling.”