Nitish Kumar to convene JD(U) meet, amid speculations of rift with BJP

Patna, Aug 08: Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar will convene a meeting of all Janata Dal (United) legislators and parliamentarians on Tuesday, amid speculations of a rift with the BJP. However, JD(U) national president Rajiv Ranjan Singh alias Lalan Singh has denied the reports. He has also asserted that "all is well" with ally BJP.

Though Lalan Singh asserted that "all is well" between the JD-U and the BJP, PTI ources say Nitish Kumar's meetings with RJD chief Tejashwi Yadav indicated he was unhappy with the BJP.

With Bihar CM Nitish Kumar on Sunday skipping an important NITI Aayog meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the relationship between the BJP and the Janata Dal-United is again under the scanner. There has been no official word on the reason behind Kumar's absence.

Amid speculations of growing closeness between the JD-U and Lalu Prasad's Rashtriya Janata Dal yet again and the buzz about some "major political change in Bihar soon", the JD-U supremo today skipped the Governing Council meeting of the NITI Aayog, the second time in a row from a major government event.

A few days back, he also skipped a dinner hosted by PM Modi for outgoing President Ram Nath Kovind.

The JD-U is a part of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA).

Though officially the reason being given is that Nitish Kumar was recovering from a recent Covid infection, speaking to the media in Patna JD-U president Rajiv Ranjan Singh alias Lalan Singh slammed RCP Singh and said his party continues to hold the stand of 2019 when after the Lok Sabha polls it decided to not join the government at the centre.

"What is the need for JD-U to join the Central cabinet? In 2019 itself, after arriving at a consensus, chief minister Nitish Kumar had made it clear that we will not join the central government and we stand quite firmly with it," he was quoted as saying.