Chief Minister N. Rangasamy, who heads the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government in Puducherry, skipped the NITI Aayog meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi on Thursday (June 11, 2026).

The 11^th council meeting of NITI Aayog held at Rashtrapati Bhavan Cultural Centre was attended by Chief Ministers including those from the neighbouring Opposition-ruled States such as Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Telangana and Kerala to discuss Centre’s development agenda.

The meeting was held under the theme ‘Inclusive Human Development for Viksit Bharat @2047,’ in line with the Prime Minister’s vision of ‘Team India’ for a developed India. A key focus of the meeting was to bring out strategy in aligning State-level development visions with the national goal of inclusive human development, reinforcing a collaborative approach towards equitable and sustainable development, The Hindu has learnt.

PM would take appropriate decision: CM office

On his absence from the meeting, a message posted in a WhatsApp group managed by the Chief Minister’s Office, said Mr. Rangasamy did not attend the meeting as he felt the “Prime Minister would take appropriate decision considering the welfare of people.”

“Since it is NDA government in Puducherry, the Prime Minister will take decision for the welfare of the people of Puducherry. A detailed report on the financial requirement has already been forwarded to Centre,” the message said.

In the report forwarded to Centre, the Chief Minister has reiterated Puducherry government’s demand for a nominal increase of 10 per cent in the Normal Central Assistance on an annual basis till the inclusion of the Union Territory in the Finance Commission.

Continued absence

This is not the first time that Chief Minister has avoided attending the NITI Aayog meeting. During the last tenure also, the Chief Minister skipped attending almost all meetings chaired by the Prime Minister citing “personal reasons,” or “prior engagements.”

In fact, though the Chief Minister was holding the Finance portfolio during his previous tenure, he avoided attending crucial meetings related to GST Council also. He often deputed the then Minister for Public Works K. Lakshminarayanan for the GST council meetings.

The Chief Minister’s absence from such meetings was raised by the Opposition in the last Assembly and at press conferences. The DMK members during Assembly debates made repeated appeals to the Chief Minister to meet the Prime Minister in Delhi to press for the Union Territory’s demands, including Statehood and inclusion of the territory under the ambit of recommendations of the Finance Commission. 

They had even drawn the attention of Mr. Rangasamy on the visits made by the then Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin to Delhi, though the DMK was ideologically opposed to Mr. Modi’s party, the BJP.

‘Absence not in the best interest of Puducherry people’

Former Chief Minister V. Narayanasamy too had spoken against the Chief Minister’s decision not to attend NITI Aayog meetings. In a video message on Thursday, the Congress leader said whether his decision not to attend was political or personal, the absence of a head of the government from such forums was not in the best interest of the people of Puducherry.

“People have voted him to power. He has betrayed the interest of the people by skipping the NITI Aayog meeting. It is an important avenue, where issues of Puducherry’s concern could be taken up. The Chief Minister is not supportive to the development agenda of Puducherry,” the message said.