File Photo: Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar. (Agence France Presse)
With uncertainty prevailing over 'Janata Parivar' constituents contesting the Bihar Assembly polls as one party, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar today asked Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav to convene a meeting of the merger committee to "clear the air".
On his part, Mr Kumar, however, said, "The chapter is still not closed."
Mr Kumar told reporters he would suggest Mulayam Singh Yadav to convene a meeting of the merger committee soon to "clear the air and end the public debate over the matter."
The Bihar Chief Minister's advice to the SP supremo, who will be the leader of the proposed party after the merger, came against the backdrop of Samajwadi Party general secretary Ram Gopal Yadav's recent statement that there was "no possibility" of the merger happening before the assembly polls.
"The merger is not possible before the Bihar election due to technicalities. If we merge in a hurry, it will be like signing the death warrant of our party," he had said, in comments that were seen as reflecting the unease within the SP over the merger.
Many in SP believe that it stands to gain nothing from the exercise that will only consolidate the bases of the two Bihar outfits--JD(U) and RJD--to take on the BJP and its allies in the election which is likely in September-October this year.
Mr Kumar said though he perceived no technical hitch, "but, if some technical issues have been raised as bottlenecks they should be sorted out in a meeting of six members of the committee constituted in the last meeting to look into formalities like a common symbol and flag etc".
Mr Kumar brushed aside Ram Gopal Yadav's comments as being his "personal views" that were "advisory" in nature and not the "statement of his party".
He said JD(U) was committed to the merger and had no issues with the exercise.
"The merger is complete and Mulayam Singh Yadav has been declared its head ... There is no question of going back on it," he said.