New Delhi | Kolkata: Chief ministers of several Opposition-ruled states have decided to skip Niti Aayog‘s eighth governing council meeting in New Delhi on Saturday.

Announcing boycott, Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal said “cooperative federalism” was being turned into a “joke”. Toeing the AAP line, Punjab CM also announced boycott of the meeting.

West Bengal minister Chandrima Bhattacharya told ET: “The state government had sent a letter to the Centre, proposing names of Chief Secretary and me, but the Centre didn’t agree to it.”

Bihar government’s request to send minister Vijay Choudhary as state representative too was denied. Sources said “CM Nitish Kumar won’t be able to attend the meet due to prescheduled engagements”.

Telangana government sources told ET that chief minister KCR will also skip the meeting. Kumar and KCR had skipped the meeting last year too.

Tamil Nadu chief minister MK Stalin is visiting Singapore and Japan and hence he won’t be able to attend the meeting. Congress chief ministers and Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren will attend the meeting.