Cutting across party lines, several noted politicians, including Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, RJD leader Tej Pratap Yadav, former Bihar CM Rabri Devi, state Congress president Madan Mohan Jha and RLSP leader Bishen Patel on Monday attended an Iftar party thrown by Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM) chief Jitan Ram Manjhi at his residence in Patna.
The gathering comes amid reports of strain in ties between the JD-U and the BJP following the former's decision to opt out of the newly formed Narendra Modi government. Upset over BJP's offer to allocate only one Cabinet berth to JD-U, Bihar CM and party chief Nitish Kumar announced his decision not to join the Modi government 2.0.
In the meantime, Kumar's attendance in Manjhi's Iftar event has given a further boost to the speculations of early fissures in the NDA. Though the Bihar CM has repeatedly stressed that there is no 'resentment' between the allies, speculations have been rife that Kumar may snap its ties with the BJP and join hands with the RJD-Congress-led Grand Alliance in Bihar, like he did in 2013.