New Delhi: Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar refuted suspicions of a 'special agenda' on Saturday, amid concerns over his meeting with campaign strategist Prashant Kishor, who was banned from his party Janta Dal-United in 2020.
“Is my relationship with Prashant Kishor only from today? There is no special meaning behind the meeting,” Nitish Kumar was quoted by ANI on its official Twitter handle.
According to media reports, Prashant Kishor had dinner with Nitish Kumar on Friday.
In 2020, the electoral strategist was fired by the JDU after a quarrel with BJP ally Nitish Kumar over his stance on the contentious citizenship amendment issue.
Critics have dubbed the disputed law – which sparked massive protests around the country – as derogatory against Muslims.
“Nitish Ji always treated me like his son, and he was like a father to me. So whatever decisions he has taken, I am fine with those. He inducted me in the party, and expelled me - but I don’t hold any grudges against him,” Kishor said in Patna last year, Hindustan Times reported.
Last year, he had also admitted that he and the Bihar Chief Minister had disagreements, but that they were "ideological in nature."
The new meeting also comes amid rumours of tensions between Mamata Banerjee's Trinamool Congress and Prashant Kishor's IPAC, which clarified its position on getting involved in recent party infighting.
Kishor was rumoured to be considering a run for Congress last year, but he has denied the rumours in subsequent interviews. He has also been outspoken in his criticism of the Gandhis and the way the party operates.
(With ANI Inputs)