Congress CMs meet over dinner, discuss issues to be raised at Niti Aayog meet

A day before the Niti Aayog meeting here, four chief ministers of Congress-ruled states met over dinner and discussed key issues that they will raise at the meet.

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath hosted the dinner at his residence where Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel and Puducherry Chief Minister Narayansamy were present. Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh could not make it for the dinner.

The chief ministers of the Congress-ruled states are expected to raise key farmers issues and also share the benefits of the loan waiver scheme implemented by them at the Niti Aayog meeting, sources said.

Apart from the issues the Congress chief ministers will raise at the meeting, the sources said at the dinner the leaders also discussed the situation arising out of the Lok Sabha poll debacle and party president Rahul Gandhi's offer to resign.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will Saturday chair the fifth meeting of the Niti Aayog's Governing Council which will focus on issues like the drought situation, farm distress, rain water harvesting and preparedness for Kharif crops.

The five-point agenda for the meeting also includes aspirational districts programme, transforming agriculture and security related issues with special focus on left wing extremism (LWE) districts, an official statement said.

The meeting, to be held at Rashtrapati Bhavan, will be attended by chief ministers, lieutenant governors of Union Territories, several Union ministers and senior government officials.

This will be the first governing council meeting under the new Modi government.