Chandigarh, Jul 25 (PTI) Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Thursday said he will boycott the Niti Aayog meeting, which is to be chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on July 27.

Mann also slammed the BJP-led NDA government for withholding the state's funds, including rural development fund and those under the National Health Mission.

Also Read | Mumbai Fire: 70-Year-Old Man Dead, Three Injured After Massive Blaze Erupts in High Rise in Borivali; Flames Doused.

Addressing the media in Jalandhar, Mann took on the Centre over the issue of the union budget, which was presented by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on July 23, and said Punjab did not find any mention in it.

"Punjab should have been given the special status. But the situation is such that Punjab's rights have also not been given. That is why we will boycott the Niti Aayog meeting in which all the chief ministers have been called by the prime minister on July 27," Mann said.

Also Read | Bihar Shocker: Elderly Retired Teacher Murders Wife Over Affair With Uncle, Cuts Body Into Pieces in Arwal; Arrested.

"We know their intention. They have withheld our rural development fund, which is about Rs 6,000 crore. They have withheld our National Health Mission funds. They do not give (state's) share in the GST. Whenever they need to deduct any funds, they do it from Punjab's funds. Then what will we do there (Niti Ayog meeting)," he said.

Referring to the union budget, Mann said, "Punjab was not mentioned in the budget. Nothing was said about our farmers."

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)