Nitish Kumar meets Rahul Gandhi amid reports of rift in grand alliance

NEW DELHI: Amid speculation over a rift in the 'grand alliance' in Bihar, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar today met Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi and is learnt to have discussed the current political situation.

Party sources said Kumar drove to Gandhi's Tughlaq Lane residence here and discussed about graft charges against Bihar Deputy Chief Minister and RJD chief Lalu Prasdad's son, Tejashwi Yadav.

Kumar is in the national capital to attend a dinner hosted by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in honour of outgoing President Pranab Mukherjee.

His meeting with Rahul Gandhi comes at a time when there are differences over the continuation of Tejashwi in the state cabinet, thus posing a "threat" to the grand alliance between the JD(U), RJD and Congress in Bihar.

While the RJD supremo has rejected demands of resignation of his son, Kumar is learnt to have reservations about Tejashwi's continuance as it dents his "anti-corruption" image.

Kumar-led JD(U) had also crossed swords with the opposition over its support to NDA's presidential nominee Ram Nath Kovind. The opposition had pitched for Meira Kumar as its joint candidate for the presidential polls.