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No objection to Modi campaigning in Bihar: JD-U

September 14, 2010 19:44 IST

In a surprise move, Bihar's ruling Janata Dal-United made it clear on Tuesday that it had no objection if its alliance partner Bharatiya Janata Party invites Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi for campaigning for the upcoming assembly elections in the state.

Bihar JD-U president Vijay Kumar Choudhary told rediff.com in Patna that the party has no objection if BJP invites Modi for campaign in polls.

"It is for the BJP to decide to invite any one for campaign during polls; we have no objections" Choudhary said.

Choudhary said JD-U has nothing to do with Modi.

Choudhary's latest remarks is seen as a softening in stance by the JD-U following a BJP minister in Bihar daring the Nitish Kumar government to snap ties with it.

Bihar Cooperative Minister Giriraj Singh said that some leaders of JD-U are behaving and working as if they are against the return of the National Democratic Alliance to power in Bihar.

A day after senior JD-U leader Shivanand Tiwari asked his party members to reconsider ties with the BJP, Singh said that Tiwari should take the issue to Chief Minister Nitish Kumar instead of talking through the media.

Nitish Kumar is likely to visit New Delhi on Wednesday to meet top BJP leaders to finalise seat sharing and the candidates for the upcoming polls.

M I Khan in Patna