Congress leaders absent from RJD’s iftar party

In Patna, the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) hosted an iftar party on Monday at the home of senior party leader Abdul Bari Siddiqui. The event was attended by Governor Arif Mohammed Khan, RJD chief Lalu Prasad, former Chief Minister Rabri Devi, and other senior RJD leaders. Lalu Prasad spoke about the importance of such events for Indian cultural heritage, and they all prayed for the well-being of the people in Bihar. Notably absent from the party were senior Congress leaders, including the new state president Rajesh Kumar and state in charge Krishna Allavaru. Leaders from other alliance parties, like Vikassheel Insaan Party chief Mukesh Sahani, also did not attend. This led members of the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) to criticize Lalu and the RJD, claiming that the Mahagathbandhan coalition in Bihar is divided. Siddiqui suggested that the Congress leaders may have been busy with other commitments. Congress spokesman Snehashish Vardhan explained that party officials were occupied with organizational tasks and preparing for an important meeting in Delhi scheduled for Tuesday. Meanwhile, senior BJP leader and Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary remarked that iftar parties held by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and other NDA members have been very successful. JD (U) spokesperson Abhishek Jha also commented on the visible differences within the Mahagathbandhan.