Sumit Kumar Singh By

NEW DELHI: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s move to bring all the state CMs together for a meet in Delhi to build a pressure group against the Centre yielded poor response, as his Uttar Pradesh and Bihar counterparts’ intimated they would be unable to attend the function.

Kejriwal had invited all the chief ministers to discuss Centre-state relations on September 30, but BJP and Congress Chief ministers have already intimated their non-availability for the meet. Kejriwal was banking on non-BJP and non-Congress chief ministers to make the conclave a success, but it was not to be.

While Uttar Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav has decided not to attend the meet, Bihar’s Nitish Kumar said he was pre-occupied with the state assembly polls, but would be available on video conferencing, if needed. Kumar and Kejriwal have met several times and have supported each other attacking Narendra Modi government.

Only Tripura CM Manik Sarkar and West Bengal’s Mamta Banerjee are in the national capital to attend the conclave.

After Samajwadi Party quit the ‘grand alliance’ ib Bihar, party chief Mulayam Singh distanced himself from Kumar, which seems to have prompted Akhilesh to withdraw from the event.

While Sarkar is in Delhi to attend a Politburo meet, Mamata had confirmed to Kejriwal two months ago, when he invited her, that she would be present.