New Delhi, May 25 -- Prime Minister Narendra Modi chaired the 10th Governing Council meeting of NITI Aayog in New Delhi on Saturday, where key Opposition chief ministers-Tamil Nadu's M.K. Stalin, Punjab's Bhagwant Mann, Telangana's Revanth Reddy, and Jharkhand's Hemant Soren-returned to the table after having boycotted the previous meeting in July 2024.

The gathering at Bharat Mandapam focused on how states could serve as "building blocks" in India's goal of becoming a developed country.

In the last Governing Council meeting, all Opposition CMs except West Bengal's Mamata Banerjee had stayed away in protest against the "discriminatory" Union Budget. Banerjee, the lone Opposition presence then, walked out mid-meeting, alleging she wasn't...