Makar Sankranti togetherness for Janata Parivar parties

The festival of "Makar Sankranti" served as stage to push ahead process of merger of splinter parties of old Janata Parivar with senior leaders asserting the exercise was on track.
Makar Sankranti party hosted separately by JD(U) and Lalu Prasad was abuzz with leaders of five old Janata Parivar parties.
JD(U) President Sharad Yadav, his RJD counterpart Lalu Prasad, Abhay Chautala of INLD, Uttar Pradesh minister Om Prakash Singh representing SP chief Mulayam Singh Yadav and Samajwadi Janata Party representative were in attendance along with JD(U) leaders at the feast at both the places to present a picture of togetherness.

But, senior JD(U) leader Nitish Kumar was missing.
"Nitish Kumar is down with fever at his residence here for last days thats why he did not come in the feast," state minister Shrawan Kumar, a close aide of Kumar, said.
Chief Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi attended the feast at both JD(U) state Chief Basistha Narayan Singh at New Patna Club and also that of Lalu Prasad at the residence of his wife Rabri Devi.

State Congress President Ashok Choudhary and its Legislature party leader Sadanand Singh also attended the feast to display solidarity with secular forces.
Makar Sankranti served as an important occasion for the parties to show they are moving towards agreement to be one to defeat BJP.

Amid exchange of bonhomie over "dahi chura" (flattened rice and curd, food taken on Sankranti occasion) RJD Chief Lalu Prasad told reporters "Janata Dal Parivar ka milan hone ja raha hain...Balki samajhiye ho gaya hain (Janata Dal family is on path of togetherness...Or you can say it has already been achieved)."
Asked when a formal announcement to this effect would be made, he said "Samajwadi Party (SP) President Mulayam Singh Yadav has been authorised the merger so he would talk about it."
Asked for the time, he said, "we would again talk in Delhi".
His JD(U) counterpart Sharad Yadav also exuded confidence on achieving merger of six splinter Janata Parivar parties.

Retracing from his assertions yesterday about chance of merger of RJD and JD(U) first in view of Bihar poll to pave way for assimilation of other parties which was refuted by Prasad, Sharad Yadav told reporters "it would be better if the six parties come together."
He, however, said no deadline could be fixed for completion of the merger process.