Nitish Kumar and Sharad Yadav meet Lalu

NEW DELHI: Attempting a merger of the two parties as a prelude to larger Janata Parivar unity, RJD chief Lalu Prasad and JD(U) leader Nitish Kumar today held deliberations here and rejected speculation that their meeting was to take a call on leadership change in Bihar.

The RJD and JD(U) leaders are likely to have a meeting with Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav tomorrow here.

"There is no talk about removing or not removing Jitan Ram Manjhi (as Bihar Chief Minister). Those who are not able to digest the coming together of JD(U) and RJD are spreading all this. It is being said that I am angry with Manjhi. Why should I be angry? I had not appointed him as Chief Minister. I have no anger towards any one," Prasad told after meeting Kumar and JD-U President Sharad Yadav here.

JD (U) general secretary K C Tyagi said that both Yadav and Kumar drove down to the residence of Prasad.

"Our meeting was to discuss the issue of the merger. I have discussed the merger plan with Nitish Kumar and Sharad Yadav. A number of issues are to be decided. What will be the common flag, common symbol and other issues. We may meet Mualayam Singh Yadavji tomorrow," Prasad said.

Another RJD leader Prem Gupta said that a rumour is being spread that Lalu Prasad is angry with Manjhi, which has "no basis".

Nitish Kumar had yesterday itself rejected any possibility of the removal Manjhi and said their immediate priority was the merger of all Janata Parivar offshoots and the launching of a joint protest against NDA government's "ordinance raj".

Kumar also met INLD chief Omprakash Chautala's son Dushyant Chautala here today.

The unity move of these splinter groups was made public last month when Mulayam Singh had hosted a lunch for leaders of the other five parties, where the leaders asked him to finalize the modalities.