india

Updated: Jul 09, 2019 09:01 IST

In a strong rebuff to the Rashtriya Janata Dal, senior Janata Dal (U) leader and Bihar minister Shrawan Kumar on Monday said there was no question of going back with the Lalu Prasad-led party, setting at rest speculation of a rapprochement between the erstwhile allies.

“There is no possibility for JD (U)’s reunion with RJD. No amount of effort is going to yield any result. Nitish Kumar is the only alternative and RJD will not be able to open its account, as was the case of Lok Sabha polls, in successive elections too,” the parliamentary affairs minister told reporters following a ruckus created by RJD members in the Bihar assembly.

The minister’s statement comes in the wake of recent overtures by the RJD leaders, including former chief minister Rabri Devi, towards Nitish Kumar’s party.

Taking a swipe at Tejashwi Prasad Yadav and Rabri Devi, the JD (U) leader said politics was not governed by “offers”. “The intent of our leader (Nitish Kumar) and his agenda for development is clear. Sometimes alliances happen. But the culture of Congress and RJD is quite different from ours,” he said.

After the severe drubbing in the Lok Sabha polls, the RJD-Congress combine has gone soft towards the JD (U), which was not on the same page as the BJP to push for the abolition of Article 370 and uniform civil code.

It all began with RJD’s national vice-president Raghuvansh Prasad Singh broaching the idea that all regional parties should unite to take on the BJP before being rendered redundant. He extended the offer to JD (U) after Kumar attended the iftaar party hosted by HAM-S leader and former CM Jitan Ram Manjhi.

Shivanand Tiwari, also RJD’S national vice president, endorsed the idea. “We share the same ideology. If Nitish decides to sever ties with BJP, RJD will stand by his side,” he said.

Rabri Devi, who shared her younger son’s aversion to Nitish’s return in the GA, also said she did not harbour any reservation on the issue.

The JD (U) severed its alliance with the RJD in July 2017 on the issue of corruption.