No rift between RJD, JD-U: Lalu Prasad

Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Prasad on Wednesday said there was no rift between his party and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's Janata Dal-United (JD-U) over the merger of the Janata Parivar.

He said the two parties will contest the forthcoming Bihar assembly polls together to defeat the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

"I am committed to an alliance of the RJD and the JD-U to defeat the BJP in the next assembly polls," Lalu Prasad told media.

"Our alliance is sure and certain," he emphasised.

He said their foremost priority was to prevent the "communal BJP" from coming to power by strengthening the secular forces ahead of the polls.

"Some baseless reports have appeared in a section of the media that the RJD and the JD-U alliance or the Janata Parivar merger would not take place," he said.

Lalu Prasad also announced that he was not in the race to become the chief minister.

"I am not a chief minister candidate... If I cannot contest polls, how can I be a candidate for the chief minister's post."

He affirmed his support to the Nitish Kumar government, and said leaders of the two parties would "meet and discuss all issues including the chief ministerial candidate at the right time".