Since the Uttar Pradesh government stayed away from the meeting held at Orchha in Madhya Pradesh on Tuesday to discuss development of Bundelkhand through NREGS, the Centre has decided to hold a separate meeting for UP after the by-elections in November. The Congress, at the same time, accused UP of obstructing development in the region.

Union Minister of State for Rural Development Pradeep Jain, Principal Secretary to Prime Minister T K Nair and secretaries of five union ministries attended the meet that was held to discuss “Inter-sectoral convergence with NREGS for enhancing productivity in Bundelkhand”.

Jain told The Indian Express, “The absence of UP was felt as we discussed some important points of convergence in various departmental schemes. We want development for Bundelkhand region districts.”

He added, “It has been decided to hold a separate meeting for UP on similar lines in November after the by-elections are over in the state.”

Officials of both UP and MP were invited to the meeting, but UP’s Rural Development Minister Daddu Prasad questioned the Centre’s intentions and said it should have consulted the state before deciding the date of the meet.

UP looked at the joint meeting as a step towards Rahul Gandhi’s agenda of setting up an autonomous Bundelkhand Development Authority, which it has always opposed.

Sources, however, said the purpose of the meeting was to ensure that schemes of various departments were synchronised to bring development in the region through NREGS funds.

Meanwhile, the Congress accused the state of obstructing development of the region. “The step (of boycotting the meeting) proves that the state has no interest in the development of Bundelkhand,” AICC general secretary in-charge for UP Digvijay Singh told reporters in New Delhi.