Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar did not attend the important NITI Aayog meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi today, officials said.
The state was represented at the meeting by deputy chief ministers Samrat Choudhary and Vijay Kumar Sinha, they said.
The cause for Nitish Kumar's absence from the crucial meeting could not be known immediately.
"This is not the first time that the CM is not attending the NITI Aayog meeting. The CM did not attend the meeting earlier as well, and Bihar was represented by the then deputy CM. This time also both the deputy CMs went to attend the meeting," JD(U) spokesperson Neeraj Kumar told news agency PTI.
"Besides, there are four Union ministers from Bihar who are members of the Aayog and they will be present in the meeting. There is nothing to say on this," he added.
The ninth governing council meeting of the Aayog discussed the 'Vikshit Bharat@2047' document with an aim to make India a developed nation.
The council, the premier body of NITI Aayog, includes all chief ministers, Lt Governors of Union territories and several Union ministers. PM Modi is the chairman of NITI Aayog.
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