No bias against states in finance commission's terms of reference: Jaitley

The FM's statement comes on a day when the finance ministers of Kerala, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Puducherry met in Thiruvananthapuram and spoke out against the terms of reference

Finance Minister (FM) Arun Jaitley on Tuesday said the “controversy” around the terms of reference of the 15th Finance Commission was needless one and there was no inherent bias against states that have made progress in population control.

“A needless controversy is sought to be created that the terms of reference of the 15th Finance Commission are loaded against any particular region of the country. Nothing could be further from the truth,” Jaitley said in a statement on Facebook.

The FM’s statement comes on a day when the finance ministers of Kerala, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Puducherry met in Thiruvananthapuram