A day earlier, the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), led by Lalu Prasad, organised an ‘iftar’ at the residence of former minister and senior party leader Abdul Bari Siddiqui. Though a large number of Muslims attended the gathering, leaders of its two allies, Congress and the Vikassheel Insaan Party (VIP), were conspicuously absent.Taking a jibe at RJD, JD(U) MLC and chief spokesperson Neeraj Kumar said, “Why did Congress and VIP leaders not attend the ‘iftar’ party despite being alliance partners? This is a matter of investigation.” He further claimed that RJD’s allies would begin deserting the party due to Tejashwi Prasad Yadav’s arrogance and the misdeeds of Lalu Prasad. “Lalu is missing from RJD’s posters. Even his son is ignoring him,” he added.Meanwhile, seven Muslim organisations, including Imarat-e-Sharia, Phulwarisharif (Patna), boycotted the ‘iftar’ party hosted by the chief minister at his 1 Anne Marg residence. JD(U) leaders blamed the RJD for instigating the boycott.JD(U) Minister Vijay Kumar Chaudhary, however, stated that a large number of Muslims attended Nitish Kumar’s gathering. “It has been a tradition to invite all Muslim organisations on this occasion,” he said.
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