Pranab curtails Bihar visit

President Pranab Mukherjee Thursday decided to cut his Bihar visit short by one day,triggering talk that it was done to avoid a clash with BJP PM candidate Narendra Modis Patna rally. However,the Rashtrapati Bhavan said the President cut his visit short as the event he was supposed to attend on October 27 in Bihar was cancelled.

Mukherjee told BJP MPs Rajiv Pratap Rudy and Shahnawaz Hussain about his decision Thursday. Hussain said the president will now visit Bihar on October 26 to attend a convocation and return to Delhi the same day.

Rudy said,We felt concerned that Modis scheduled hunkar rally on October 27 may inconvenience the President. He then informed us that he will visit Patna on October 26 for just two hours.

The clashing dates had earlier created conflict between the BJP and its former ally,the JD(U). BJPs Bihar unit alleged that Bihar CM Nitish Kumar intentionally invited the President on October 27,the day of their partys rally.