Bihar CM Nitish says 'no differences' between JD (U), RJD

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Monday downplayed reports of a tussle between the Janata Dal (United) and the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) ahead of the merger for the upcoming assembly polls and stated that there has been no communication as of now which can be said to be a matter of concern.

"There are no differences and nobody is changing the tune. If there is a change in the tune, it's from both sides. But there has been no change in the tune from our end. This matter (merger) is still at where it was earlier. There has not been communication (regarding the merger) at the moment which can be said to be a matter of concern," he told the media here.

JD (U) chief Sharad Yadav earlier hinted that 'all is well' between his party and the Lalu Prasad Yadav-led RJD, saying both parties would fight the upcoming Bihar Assembly elections together.

"These speculations have no meaning. The RJD and JD (U) will fight the elections together. We will have to talk and find a solution to everything. The merger will be successful," Yadav said.

According to reports, the RJD has turned down the JD (U)'s demand to publicly declare Nitish Kumar as their common chief ministerial candidate for the upcoming polls in Bihar.

The JD (U) is of the opinion that Nitish's clean track record and performance in governance would give the Janta Parivar an edge before the BJP, which is riding high on the growing popularity of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Some JD (U) leaders are also of the view that Nitish's projection would also benefit a few RJD candidates.