Neither Chief Minister nor any minister in Chhattisgarh would attend the meetings of Planning Commission in protest against the nomination of rights activist Binayak Sen as a member of the plan panel’s Steering Committee on Health.
Chief Minister Raman Singh had already lodged his strong protest against the nomination of Sen. The state government led by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) had now decided to launch a campaign to make the development a “big” issue.
“Chief Minister Raman Singh and his Cabinet colleagues have decided to skip all meetings of the Planning Commission over the nomination of the convicted Binayak Sen as a member of the plan panel committee on health,” a top state government official said. Singh is also writing a letter to the Prime Minister and Commission Deputy Chairman in this regard, he added.
The state government had made it clear that either its elected representative or Sen, who had been convicted on the charges of conspiracy and sedition, would sit in the meeting. The officials would however attend the meetings of the commission.
Singh told a section of reporters on Sunday that Sen had been granted bail by the apex court while his appeal in the High Court against conviction by the lower court was under consideration. “Before nominating anyone to such an important committee or position, the authorities concerned should have scrutinized the person’s record,” Singh said.
Following the state government’s decision, Chhattisgarh will not have any representation of elected representative in the meeting of Planning Commission convened in Patna on May 30-31. Chief Ministers of five states have been invited in the meeting. Singh said neither he nor any of his ministers would go to Patna to attend the meeting. The senior officials would however represent the state.
