Meet with Modi not political, says Nitish

NEW DELHI: Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar met Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday, a day after he skipped a meeting of Opposition parties convened by Congress president Sonia Gandhi.

The luncheon meeting had generated much political interest and speculation that Kumar was once again coming close to the BJP but the Janata Dal (United) chief rejected all suggestions of growing bonhomie.

“I did not meet him in the capacity of the JD(U) chief but as the state chief minister. It was not a political meeting. Why is the media reading too much into it?” he said after the meeting.

Kumar was in the national capital to attend a lunch hosted by Modi in honour of visiting Mauritius Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth.

“Bihar has an emotional connect with Mauritius as half of the population there is of Bihari origin. The PM had invited me for the luncheon as the state CM and I decided to accept it,” he said.

Kumar rejected suggestions that all is not well in Bihar’s ruling coalition.

“There is a grand alliance between RJD, JD(U) and Congress. We are running a government there,” he said.

Such conjecture had grown following the Supreme Court’s decision to try RJD chief Lalu Prasad in four fodder scam cases and fresh allegations of corruption against him and his family members. Kumar has maintained a silence on the issue.

Kumar said it was unfair to compare the meeting organised by Gandhi with that hosted by prime minister Modi.

“What is the link between the two? One was a political meeting... She called me and discussion happened over unity of opposition parties...” he said.