A JD(U) leader remarked, “The NDA meeting was necessary to set the record straight. Nitish alone is the NDA leader and there must be no ambiguity on our commitment to communal harmony.”

The remarks are seen as an attempt by Nitish Kumar to underline the his secular credentials as well as his increased importance within the NDA on the national level.

Nearly nine months after he switched and returned to the NDA camp, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar held his first-ever meeting of the alliance Monday. The timing, ahead of bypolls and coinciding with the countdown for next year’s Assembly elections,