Bihar CM Nitish Kumar skips NITI Aayog meeting chaired by PM Modi

Digital Desk: Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar did not attend the NITI Aayog meeting held in New Delhi on July 27, officials reported. The 9th governing council meeting of the government think tank, which took place at the Rashtrapati Bhavan Cultural Centre, was chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Nitish Kumar's party, Janata Dal (United), is a key ally in the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) both in Bihar and at the national level. Instead of Kumar, Bihar was represented by Deputy Chief Ministers Samrat Choudhary and Vijay Kumar Sinha, according to news agency PTI.

The reason for Kumar's absence was not immediately clear. JD(U) spokesperson Neeraj Kumar noted that this is not the first instance of Kumar missing a NITI Aayog meeting; in previous instances, Bihar was represented by the then-deputy Chief Minister. This time, both Deputy Chief Ministers attended the meeting. Kumar also pointed out that Bihar has four Union ministers who are members of the Aayog and were present at the meeting.

The 9th governing council meeting focused on the 'Vikshit Bharat@2047' document, which aims to position India as a developed nation. The council, which is the apex body of NITI Aayog, includes all state chief ministers, Lieutenant Governors of Union Territories, and several Union ministers, with Prime Minister Modi serving as its chairman.

In a related development, all opposition INDIA bloc chief ministers, except Mamata Banerjee of West Bengal, boycotted the meeting to protest against Budget 2024, which they argue is ‘anti-federal’ and unfairly discriminatory towards non-NDA states. Mamata Banerjee did attend but walked out of the meeting, alleging that her microphone was deliberately turned off while she was speaking and that she was prevented from completing her speech.