Nitish Kumar defers meeting with NDA workers

In a significant development in the wake of strained ties between NDA allies JD(U) and BJP, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Monday deferred his monthly meeting with workers of the two ruling partners.

Kumar's monthly meeting with the NDA workers slated to held at his official residence has been deferred, official sources said.

Chief Minister's office refused to give reasons for the postponement of the monthly, an event that takes place on the fourth Monday every month where he receives feedback from JD(U) and BJP workers and hears their grievances.

The state unit JD(U) president Vashistha Narayan Singh, however, denied that there was any political reason behind the deferrment and said it was due to renovation at Kumar's official residence.

The workers of the two parties had been intimated in advance about the deferrment, he said.

When contacted, state BJP president CP Thakur sought to concur with the stand of his JD(U) counterpart and said that his party was informed about seven-eight days ago about the deferrment of the Chief Minister's meeting.