RJD leaders urge Lalu, Nitish to sit and solve coalition crisis

Patna, July 16 (IANS) RJD leaders have requested Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and coalition partner Lalu Prasad to sit together to solve the crisis in the ruling coalition, but the ruling JD-U on Sunday said "everything is all right".

"Coalitions may see tensions and pressures but everything is all right in the Grand Alliance," said Janata Dal-United spokesperson Neeraj Kumar.

Without naming Nitish Kumar, who is also JD-U president, he said that the able leadership manage to get out of the crisis that erupted after the CBI filed a corruption case against Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav - the younger son of RJD chief Lalu Prasad - and solve it.

Rashtriya Janata Dal leader and former Union Minister Ragunath Jha said: "Lalu and Nitish Kumar should sit together,talk to each other to end the crisis."

Another senior RJD leader and former MP Shivanand Tiwari has appealed to Nitish Kumar to end the crisis. "I appeal to Nitish Kumar with folded hands to solve the crisis and save Mahagathbandhan from split," he said, adding that the BJP has been trying to split the Grand Alliance.

According to the sources in JD-U and RJD, leaders from both parties will now attack the BJP rather than each other.

Meanwhile, Nitish Kumar on Sunday evening did not say a word about Tejashwi Yadav, while addressing his party legislators and senior party leaders at his official residence here, said party state president Vashisht Narain Singh.

"Nitish Kumar hardly spoken about Tejashwi Yadav and ongoing crisis in the ruling alliance... he only discussed issues related to the presidential polls on July 17," a JD-U legislator said.

Similarly, Lalu Prasad also did not say anything over the crisis while addressing his party legislators and senior party leaders at his official residence here on Sunday evening.