Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and his deputy Sushil Modi Monday attended an Iftar hosted by Union minister Ram Vilas Paswan, a day after reports claimed that no leader from the JD(U) and BJP camps attended iftar hosted by one another.

There were reports that the JD(U), which is in alliance with the BJP, was not happy with the saffron party allotting it only one seat in the Union Cabinet. On Sunday, Nitish expanded his cabinet by inducting eight members – all belonging to JD(U). This move further fuelled the talks of an alleged rift between the two parties.

However, the Bihar CM quashed such speculations and said the BJP was not to keen to be a part of Bihar cabinet. “Vacancies from JD(U) quota in the cabinet were empty so JD(U) leaders were inducted, there is no issue with BJP, everything is fine,” Nitish had said.

Meanwhile, Union Minister and LJP chief Ram Vilas Paswan had said that all was well within the NDA and that Nitish Kumar is their leader in the state. “All is well in the NDA. Nitish Kumar is our leader. Too many conclusions must not be drawn. Kumar has also said that he was, is and will remain in the NDA. Moreover, I am there to act as a cementing force,” said Paswan in Patna.

In the 2019 general elections, the BJP-JD(U)-LJP alliance won 39 out of 40 Lok Sabha seats in Bihar with JD(U) getting 16 of the 17 seats it had contested and BJP and Ram Vilas Paswan-led LJP winning all 17 and six seats, respectively. The Congress secured only one seat while the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) drew a blank. Assembly elections are due in Bihar next year.