<p>Those who were conspicuous by their absence included Narendra Modi (Gujarat), Nitish Kumar (Bihar), J Jayalalitha (Tamil Nadu), Mayawati (Uttar Pradesh) and Prakash Singh Badal (Punjab). The absent chief ministers were represented by their ministerial colleagues. The most conspicuous of the absentees was Mamata, who only earlier this week caused a severe embarrassment to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh by refusing to be part of his tour party to Bangladesh, as a result of which, the Teesta river water treaty could not be signed.<br /><br />As for Modi, his absence was expected as he has taken on the Centre for refusing his demand to recall Gujarat governor Kamla Beniwal, who, in a controversial move, appointed the state Lokayukta without taking his consent. The chief minister had written to Singh, asking that the Governor be directed to withdraw the notification. The BJP MPs, who had disrupted Parliament for nearly a week, even marched to Rashtrapati Bhavan.<br /><br />Mayawati, who has made it a habit of not attending the meetings of chief ministers, lashed out at the Centre for not circulating the draft bill on communal violence among the states though the issue was the main agenda of the conference.<br /><br />Nitish Kumar also criticised the Centre for not consulting the states on the bill. Jayalilatha, for whom this could have been the first meeting after returning to power in Tamil Nadu, did not attend as the Assembly is in session, official sources said. But the unstated reason seemed to be that she did not want to meet her bete noire P Chidambaram, the host of the meeting. Kerala’s Oommen Chandy was the lone Congress chief minister absent, but it was because of a prior engagement.</p>
<p>Those who were conspicuous by their absence included Narendra Modi (Gujarat), Nitish Kumar (Bihar), J Jayalalitha (Tamil Nadu), Mayawati (Uttar Pradesh) and Prakash Singh Badal (Punjab). The absent chief ministers were represented by their ministerial colleagues. The most conspicuous of the absentees was Mamata, who only earlier this week caused a severe embarrassment to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh by refusing to be part of his tour party to Bangladesh, as a result of which, the Teesta river water treaty could not be signed.<br /><br />As for Modi, his absence was expected as he has taken on the Centre for refusing his demand to recall Gujarat governor Kamla Beniwal, who, in a controversial move, appointed the state Lokayukta without taking his consent. The chief minister had written to Singh, asking that the Governor be directed to withdraw the notification. The BJP MPs, who had disrupted Parliament for nearly a week, even marched to Rashtrapati Bhavan.<br /><br />Mayawati, who has made it a habit of not attending the meetings of chief ministers, lashed out at the Centre for not circulating the draft bill on communal violence among the states though the issue was the main agenda of the conference.<br /><br />Nitish Kumar also criticised the Centre for not consulting the states on the bill. Jayalilatha, for whom this could have been the first meeting after returning to power in Tamil Nadu, did not attend as the Assembly is in session, official sources said. But the unstated reason seemed to be that she did not want to meet her bete noire P Chidambaram, the host of the meeting. Kerala’s Oommen Chandy was the lone Congress chief minister absent, but it was because of a prior engagement.</p>
