Patna, Aug 7 (IANS): Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Sunday skipped the crucial seventh governing council meeting of NITI Aayog.

The meeting was held under the chairmanship of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Delhi and chief ministers of all states were invited.

Sources say Nitish Kumar skipped the meeting as he recently recovered from Covid infection.

Of late, the gap between BJP and JD(U) seems to be widening. Sources say Nitish Kumar is not happy with the BJP's Prawas programme in 200 Assembly constituencies of Bihar.

Sources say that the BJP wanted to give out a message that it will contest all 243 assembly seats in future elections.

In reply to it, JD(U) national president Rajiv Ranjan Singh alias Lalan Singh also said that his party is also preparing for 243 seats.

In the past, Nitish Kumar had questioned the parameters on which Niti Aayog evaluated the development works of a particular state. Niti Aayog, in its report, had placed Bihar at the bottom of the development index in the country. This could be another reason for skipping the meeting of the Aayog.