Patna,(BiharTimes): The warmth with which BJP patriarch Lal Krishna Advani and Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar greeted each other at the National Integration Council meeting in New Delhi gave the Rashtriya Janata Dal and Lok Janshakti Party an opportunity to criticize both the Janata Dal (United) and BJP. 

However, the Janata Dal(United) strongly defended the action of two leaders and called it just a “normal courtesy”.

While LJP chief Ram Vilas Paswan told the media that the Bihar chief minister would have to explain whether Advani is a secular or not RJD national spokesman Ram Kripal Yadav, said that the bonhomie shown by the two leaders clearly shows that the so-called divorce between the two former constituents of NDA is nothing but a match-fixing. 

Addressing a function in Nitish Kumar’s home district of Nalanda he said that his party has been saying from the beginning that Nitish Kumar has severed relationship with Narendra Modi BJP but is still with Advani BJP. After all Advaniji is Nitish’s guru, he added.

But the senior BJP leader, Ravi Shankar Prasad, came down heavily on those reading too much into this action. He said that the BJP leaders warmly greet even the most bitterest political rival. 

Party leader Giriraj Singh said that Nitish Kumar sometimes meet with sharamjoshi and sometimes with garamjoshi. But so far Advanji is concerned he is always courteous to every one. Both Ravi Shankar and Giriraj said that Advani continues to be the tallest leader of the party.

But Bihar JD(U) president Vashist Narayan Singh while talking to PTI said “Meeting Advani is part of a normal courtesy. Such practises make the democracy strong.”

“Advaniji is among the few surviving veterans of Indian politics ... After working together for so many years what is the harm in wishing one another despite being in separate parties?" he said.