New Delhi: A day after he skipped the crucial merger meeting with Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) President Lalu Prasad Yadav and Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Mulayam Singh Yadav in Delhi, Chief Minister and Janata Dal – U senior leader Nitish Kumar, held a meeting with the former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister to discuss the fate of the Janata Parivar merger.

Though Kumar remained tight-lipped about the content of the meeting, sources said the Bihar Chief Minister expressed his opposition to the idea of inviting his predecessor and a one-time protégé Jitan Ram Manjhi to join the Janata Parivar, an idea earlier mooted by the RJD chief, saying he would not be a part of any alliance if Manjhi was also a part of it.

Kumar, whose failure to attend yesterday’s meeting is seen as a snub to Lalu Prasad Yadav despite the Chief Minister’s insistence that he missed it due to medical reasons, said that the idea to invite Manjhi to the Janata Parivar coalition could very well derail the merger talks.

The Chief Minister, known for holding grudges for a long time (example, Narendra Modi and Manjhi) until it is politically convenient for him (example, RJD), suggested that both parties, the JD-U and the RJD, form a committee to come to an agreement over seat-sharing in the Bihar Assembly elections.

JD-U President Sharad Yadav, who was also present at today’s meeting, however, insisted the merger talk was on track and a final decision would be taken very soon.