JDU not to join union council of ministers

Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar's Janata Dal (United) on Sunday made it clear that it will not join the Union Council of Ministers again, but rebuffed speculations of a rift with ally BJP asserting "all is well".

JDU national president Rajiv Ranjan Singh, alias Lalan, who addressed a press conference here, however, dismissed queries about Kumar's absence at the Niti Aayog meeting.

"We had decided in 2019, after the Lok Sabha polls, not to join the government at the Centre. We stick to that stand even now," Lalan said, adding: "The decision not to join the Union government was taken by our leader Nitish Kumar who was then also the party's national president."