Thiruvananthapuram, Jul 24 (IANS): All eyes are on the forthcoming NITI Aayog meeting to be chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, as by now four chief ministers have refused to attend it as a mark of protest against the Union Budget.

The chief ministers of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Telangana and Himachal Pradesh have gone on record saying that they will stay away from the July 27 meeting in the National Capital.

The question doing the rounds in Kerala is whether Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan will attend the meeting as he had also criticised the Union Budget.

Soon after Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman presented the Union Budget, CM Vijayan slammed the Centre and said thought he will not complain about some states getting more, but, he will definitely speak about states like Kerala being ignored.

CM Vijayan said such a thing should not have happened as it puts brakes on Kerala’s future development.

Incidentally the biggest grouse the Congress top brass in Kerala has against Vijayan is that in over eight years the CM has not said a word against PM Modi, while he has not spared others like Union Home Minister Amit Shah.

During the Lok Sabha election campaign all the top Congress leaders slammed CM Vijayan when he attacked its senior leader and MP Rahul Gandhi but was silent on PM Modi.

So, all eyes are on Vijayan now to see if he will take part in the crucial NITI Aayog meeting at the Centre or join the list of CMs boycotting it.