A day after Lalu invite to Manjhi, Nitish skips Janata Parivar meet

Nitish could not attend the meeting as he was on a bed rest after undergoing an eye operation, said sources.

A meeting of the various Janata Parivar parties, convened by Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav in New Delhi on Friday, could not effectively take up its key agenda due to the absence of Bihar Chief Minister and JD(U) leader Nitish Kumar. The meeting was, however, attended by JD(U) president Sharad Yadav and RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav.

The meeting had been called reportedly to work out a seat-sharing arrangement between Nitish and Lalu to pave the way for a direct fight between the Janata Parivar and the BJP-led alliance in the forthcoming Bihar assembly polls.

Nitish could not attend the meeting as he was on a bed rest after undergoing an eye operation, said sources.

The meeting came a day after Lalu invited former chief minister and Hindustani Awam Morcha leader Jitan Ram Manjhi to join this alliance.

But sources pointed out that a leader who has not denounced the saffron party and its leadership yet could not be made part of an anti-BJP combination.

It is still not clear if the BJP is seeking an alliance with Manjhi or only wants a tacit understanding with him in the polls, they said, claiming that Lalu had floated the idea only to put Nitish in an uncomfortable position and please Manjhi and his supporters.

“It is pure posturing,” they said, adding that the RJD chief was only trying to increase his bargaining power.

Source:: Indian Express