JD (U)’s invite to BJP draws Congress’ ire

The Janata Dal (United)’s invite to Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for the customary Makar Sankranti feast on Sunday has not gone down well with ally Congress, which accused its Grand Alliance (GA) lead party of ‘’misconduct’’.

Taking umbrage at the JD (U) move, state Congress chief and education minister Ashok Choudhary on Saturday expressed his inability to participate in the ‘dahi-chura bhoj’ hosted at the Bihar JD (U) chief Bashishtha Narayan Singh’s residence.

Already unnerved by the growing bonhomie between the BJP and the JD (U) and exchange of praise between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and chief minister Nitish Kumar at the recently concluded Prakash Parv of Guru Gobind Singh, Choudhary said he would not attend the JD (U) feast as he would be “out of the state capital on Sunday”.

“The state JD (U) chief should be asked why did he invite BJP to the feast after a gap of two years? Let us see what happens tomorrow,” said Choudhary, hinting that a few party leaders might be sent to complete the formalities.

Senior BJP leader and former deputy chief minister Sushil Modi, however said, leaders of his party would definitely attend the JD (U) feast if the invite was not withdrawn, as it did with Narendra Modi in 2010.

“As far as we understand, the feast has nothing to do with politics. It’s just a get together in a festive atmosphere. What harm they see, I do not understand,” said Sushil Modi. He, however, hastened to add that politics was a game of possibilities.

The Congress and the RJD, of late, have not been contented with the way both Nitish Kumar and Narendra Modi have kept showering accolades and backing each other’s policies.

While RJD laughed away the hints at bonhomie between former NDA allies, Kumar’s party putting off a promised review of its stand on demonetisation has set off alarm bells in the GA, with RJD and Congress hinting at “betrayal”.