Nothing Unusual: Nitish on his Absence from Meetings Chaired by PM

GG News Bureau
Patna, 28th Dec. Nitish Kumar, the chief minister of Bihar, tried to downplay his regular absence from meetings presided over by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday by saying it was “nothing exceptional.”

On December 30, Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav will attend the National Ganga Council meeting in Kolkata, which will be chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Tejashwi Yadav is the head of the state urban development department, which oversees the Namami Gange project.

 “This time again my current deputy (Tejashwi Yadav), holding the urban development portfolio, will attend this meeting”, the chief minister said.

The remark came in response to questions from journalists about his decision not to attend the NGC on December 30.

Previously, Kumar had skipped the Prime Minister’s all-party meeting on December 5 to seek support from all political parties for India’s role in making the country’s G20 presidency a huge success.

Several chief ministers, Union ministers, and Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge attended the meeting.

On the other hand, Kumar attended the PM’s virtual meeting on December 9 to discuss aspects of India’s G20 presidency.

India took over the G20 Presidency on December 1 and is expected to host over 200 G20 meetings during its year-long tenure, which will culminate in an annual summit on September 9 and 10 next year.

The G20, also known as the Group of 20, is an intergovernmental forum comprised of the world’s major developed and developing economies. Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Turkey, the United Kingdom, the United States, and the European Union are all members.

The Bihar chief minister also did not attend the Eastern Zonal Council meeting in Kolkata on December 17, which was presided over by Union Home Minister Amit Shah. Tejashwi Yadav had been the state’s representative.

When asked about CBI’s reported move to re-initiate a probe against Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) supremo Lalu Prasad Yadav in the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) scam, allegedly involving Tejashwi Yadav, Kumar said, “People know that it is happening only because we’ve {JD(U) and RJD} come together again”.

On the increasing number of coronavirus cases in the state, the CM said, “Bihar is on alert and patients are being provided treatment. We must be cautious because people are coming from outside the state. We are administering vaccines and conducting COVID tests. Every day, approximately 45,000-50,000 tests are conducted.

Kumar stated that his social reform campaign in the state will resume on January 5 to raise awareness about social ills such as child marriage and the dowry system, as well as to inform people about the benefits of prohibition.

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