Nitish Kumar met RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav for a second time this week
An Iftar feast hosted by the Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's party Janta Dal United today turned out to be an occasion for huge political optics. Mr Kumar met RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav for a second time this week. In a break from tradition, Mr Kumar presented the customary safa to Tejashwi Yadav before Deputy Chief Minister Tarkishor Prasad.
Mr Kumar also saw off both Tejashwi Yadav and his brother Tej Pratap. The Chief Minister is usually the first person to leave after the event ends.
Last week, Nitish Kumar had attended the Iftar party at Tejashwi Yadav's home after a gap of five years; the last was in 2017 when the Janata Dal (United) chief dumped Bihar's Grand Alliance and rebooted a partnership with the BJP. The ties between Nitish Kumar and Lalu Yadav's family then had hit rock bottom.
The bonhomie between the Chief Minister and Tejashwi Yadav comes amid a buzz over Nitish Kumar's alliance partner BJP's intent to send him to Delhi and get another Chief Minister for Bihar. Alliance partners Janata Dal United (JDU) and BJP in Bihar are at loggerheads on several issues, including caste-based census, NDA leadership in Bihar, liquor ban, and law and order situation.
Nitish Kumar became Chief Minister for a fourth term in November 2020, despite his JDU delivering a dismal performance by winning 43 seats compared to the unprecedented 74 seats of the BJP, which became the big brother in the alliance.