Nitish, RSS chief Bhagwat avoid brush at Ara event

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, who till recently had called for “Sangh mukt Bharat”, steered clear of meeting Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh chief Mohan Bhagwat at the 1,000th birth anniversary celebrations of Saint Ramanujacharya in Ara, which was attended by both on Wednesday.

Following the reunion of the BJP-JD (U) combine in Bihar, word was that the JD (U) President will meet Bhagwat at the “Vishwa Dharma Sammelan” cum “Mahayagya Purnahuti” being organised by Sri Laxmi Prapanna Jeeyar Swami Ji Maharaj, in which hundreds of saints and scholars from across the country are participating.

However, while Nitish attended the event around noon, Bhagwat’s event was slated for late afternoon, and Nitish had left the programme by the time the latter arrived. It may be recalled that the Bihar CM had spewed venom against the RSS chief ahead of the 2015 Bihar Vidhan Sabha polls over his comments on “reservation policy” and had called for Sangh mukt Bharat at several events as a part of the Mahagathbandhan. It remains to be seen whether the two meet on Thursday morning, when Bhagwat returns to Patna to fly back.

At Wednesday’s event, the Bihar CM touched the feet of religious leaders from various sects and extended greetings …read more