"No More Calls For Lalu Health": Nitish Kumar Hits Back At Tejashwi Yadav

Nitish Kumar dramatically dumped Lalu Yadav's RJD in July last year.

Stung by the frosty response to his calls from Lalu Yadav's family, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar today said: "No more". Speaking to reporters, he said if he wanted updates on his former ally's health, he would get it from the newspapers hereon.

"Not once, I inquired four times about Lalu Yadav 's health but not anymore. From now I will keep updates about him through the newspapers," Nitish Kumar said.

Lalu Yadav is being treated at the Asian Heart Hospital.

His last call inquiring about Lalu Yadav's health on June 26 fueled speculation about a possible reconciliation, but Mr Yadav's son Tejashwi Yadav's denial was emphatic and brutal. "There is no guarantee that if we, speaking hypothetically, agree to yet another tie-up, he would not ditch us some time later. The door is now closed," said the junior Yadav.

Tejashwi, 26, also derided the Chief Minister's gesture as a belated courtesy call. "Surprisingly, Nitish ji got to know about his ill health after four months of hospitalization," he tweeted.

Nitish Kumar, bristling at the comments, today called them "undignified".

"If one had a personal relationship with someone then what is wrong in asking after their health? Look at how undignified they can be. This is bad for the society. This means if anyone falls ill, then don't bother about them. I will only pray for (Lalu Yadav's) good health. But if you talk to anyone, then it is misinterpreted," he told reporters.

Nitish Kumar, who came to power in 2015 in alliance with Lalu Yadav's RJD, dramatically dumped the party in July last year - over corruption allegations against his then deputy Tejashwi - and revived his ties with the BJP.

In a series of by-polls in Bihar since then, Nitish Kumar hasn't had the best of results and Tejashwi Yadav has gained more confidence as the stand-in for his father, who was jailed for corruption.

Over the past few weeks, it had been speculated that Mr Kumar, nervous after losing three by-polls in four months and sensing that the alliance with the BJP has not brought him the best returns, was looking at a reunion with Lalu and the Congress before the 2019 national election. Both parties have rejected the idea so far.