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Journalism of Courage
JD(U) parliamentary party leader Nitish Kumar today attended the Iftar party thrown by LPP president Ramvilas Paswan in the backdrop of the former’s offer to the Union minister to lead the anti-Laloo Prasad Yadav grand alliance in the Bihar Assembly polls scheduled for next year.
The meeting was the first between the two leaders ever since Paswan quit the NDA in the aftermath of post-Godhra Gujarat riots.
In an informal chat with reporters, both leaders averred that the people of the state wanted a change but refused to speak out anything about the possibility of a realignment.
“Kabhi kabhi politics mein dil toot jaate hain aur woh Iftar mein judte hain (sometimes broken ties in politics are restored at iftar),” said Paswan.
Describing Paswan as his elder brother, Kumar said he was prepared to make any sacrifice to bring about a political change in Bihar and “things are moving in the right direction’’.
Both leaders parried queries about an alliance saying’’ this is not an occasion for talking politics’’. The two leaders posed for the cameras embracing each other.
The meeting assumes significance as Kumar had recently mooted the proposal of giving Paswan the leadership of the anti-Laloo grand alliance comprising BJP, JD(U) and the LJP. JD(U) president George Fernandes had also offered to project Paswan as the Chief Ministerial candidate of the alliance, provided he quit the ruling UPA at the Centre.
