Patna, March 24 (IANS) RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav organised the annual Daawat-e-Iftar on Monday at the residence of senior RJD leader and Member of Legislative Council (MLC) Abdul Bari Siddiqui at 12 Strand Road.
The event witnessed the presence of key RJD leaders, including Lalu Prasad Yadav, his wife Rabri Devi, son and former Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav, and several other party members.
The leaders of the Left parties were also present.
While Lalu Prasad Yadav personally invited leaders through a written letter, the absence of top Congress leaders became a talking point. Congress MLAs Pratima Das, Vijendra Chaudhary, and Ajaul Haq attended the event.
However, Bihar Congress in-charge Krishna Allavaru and Congress State President Rajesh Kumar were conspicuously absent.
Pratima Das, speaking to the media, downplayed the issue by saying, "People come and go. Vijendra Chaudhary and Ajaul Haq are present here."
Despite this, whispers of potential tension within the Mahagathbandhan surfaced. Recently, Krishna Allavaru emphasised that Congress is not anyone’s “B team” and will contest elections as the public's "A team."
The absence of senior Congress leaders has raised questions about unity within the alliance.
Meanwhile, LJP (Ram Vilas) chief and Union Minister Chirag Paswan also hosted an Iftar party at his party's office on Airport Road, Patna, the same day.
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar attended the event and Chirag Paswan greeted him by touching his feet — a gesture that grabbed attention.
Paswan, seen with a tilak on his forehead, welcomed key NDA leaders, including Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary, Water Resource Minister Vijay Kumar Choudhary, Rural Work Department Minister Ashok Choudhary, Deputy Speaker Vijay Kumar Sinha and others.
The strong attendance by NDA leaders was seen as a show of unity ahead of the upcoming elections.
Earlier on Sunday, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar hosted his own Iftar party, which saw a large turnout from the minority community.
