Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, who till recently had called for "Sangh mukt Bharat", steered clear of meeting Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh chief Mohan Bhagwat at the 1,000th birth anniversary celebrations of Saint Ramanujacharya in Ara, which was attended by both on Wednesday.
Following the reunion of the BJP-JD (U) combine in Bihar, word was that the JD (U) President will meet Bhagwat at the "Vishwa Dharma Sammelan" cum "Mahayagya Purnahuti" being organised by Sri Laxmi Prapanna Jeeyar Swami Ji Maharaj, in which hundreds of saints and scholars from across the country are participating.
However, while Nitish attended the event around noon, Bhagwat's event was slated for late afternoon, and Nitish had left the programme by the time the latter arrived. It may be recalled that the Bihar CM had spewed venom against the RSS chief ahead of the 2015 Bihar Vidhan Sabha polls over his comments on "reservation policy" and had called for Sangh mukt Bharat at several events as a part of the Mahagathbandhan. It remains to be seen whether the two meet on Thursday morning, when Bhagwat returns to Patna to fly back.
At Wednesday's event, the Bihar CM touched the feet of religious leaders from various sects and extended greetings to them on behalf of the state. Nitish asked the religious gurus to bless Bihar and said the message that will go out from the platform will help in strengthening social campaigns against child marriage, dowry and various addictions. He also performed rituals at the "Yagya vedi".
The RSS chief, while addressing the Sammelan said, "The citizens of India are all children of Bharat Ma who should work for its development by rising over feelings of hatred and friction."
The Opposition RJD however targeted Nitish over his participation in the event and senior RJD leader Shivanand Tiwari said, "The person who once talked of Sangh mukt Bharat is now running behind him." The JD (U) though said much should not be read in Nitish's participation in the event as it was a religious not political one. "It was a function which he attended as the CM of Bihar and it should not be linked to politics," JD (U) general secretary K C Tyagi said.
The event was also attended by Union ministers Ravi Shankar Prasad and Ashwini Kumar Choubey and senior BJP leaders from Bihar.
DIFFERENT TIMES
- Bihar CM Nitish attended the event around noon, Mohan Bhagwat’s event was slated for late afternoon, and Nitish had left the programme by the time the latter arrived.
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