RCP Singh talks of a JD(U)-RJD merger, his ex-boss Nitish says ‘arrey chhoddiye’ | Latest News India

Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar on Thursday refused to pay any attention to his once-close aide RCP Singh’s statement about a possible merger of the Janata Dal-United (JD-U) with Lalu Prasad Yadav’s Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) with the two parties renewing ties to form the Grand Alliance government in the eastern state.

Singh, a former Union minister, recently quit the JD(U) after graft allegations were brought against him, months after Kumar denied him another term in the Rajya Sabha.

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Singh, while speaking to reporters in Chapra earlier in the day, said that it was certain the JD(U) will merge with the RJD. “What option do they have?..,” he was further heard saying in a brief video tweeted by news agency ANI.

When asked about Singh’s remark, Kumar, accompanied by deputy chief minister and RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav, gave a dismissive shrug and said, “Arrey chhoddiye… (Let’s chuck it)”

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Singh – whose resignation earlier this month followed a show-cause notice slapped on him for allegedly amassing huge amounts of property between 2013 and 2019 and not declaring those in his poll affidavits – also took a jibe at Nitish for switching sides “too many times” while talking to reporters.

“…How many more times will he (Nitish Kumar) switch sides? He has already done that four times – in 1994, 2013, 2017 & 2022.”

When asked if he will join the BJP, Singh said he will take the decision after discussion with his supporters, and currently he was travelling across Bihar. “Right now I am on the road. Workers have called me. I will travel across Bihar, and a decision will be taken after discussions with workers.”

Reports had earlier surfaced that Singh may join the BJP in the next three-four months. A statement to this effect was also made by BJP spokesperson Santosh Pathak.

Singh’s exit from the JDU was followed by Kumar’s snapping ties with the BJP-led NDA and bringing the Mahagathbandhan government back to power.