(From left foreground) Nitish, Lalu Prasad and Paswan after meeting Singh. (Ramakant Kushwaha)

New Delhi, Oct. 27: The chilling death of Rahul Raj at the hands of Mumbai police and the unrelenting Bihar-bashing by Raj Thackeray’s MNS in Maharashtra conjured an unlikely confluence on the Prime Minister’s driveway this evening.

Nitish Kumar, Lalu Prasad and Ram Vilas Paswan, bitter rivals to each other, stood shoulder to shoulder and spoke out with rare unison against the treatment of Biharis in the state — this is cold-blooded murder, institute a judicial probe; the Thackerays have turned criminal, punish them, ban them!

It was a sight so unreal, you had to pinch yourself to believe it. Nitish, Lalu Prasad and Paswan haven’t been seen espousing the same cause from the same platform in nearly two decades; once the Bihari troika that flagged the arrival of a new leadership post the Emergency, the three have mostly been at each other, rather than with, these past decades.

Given their personal and political animosities, it is reasonable to expect that they will quickly return to their warring ways, especially since elections are on the anvil. But this evening, they stood united in the name of their people.

The temporary glue: the ferocity and venom of the MNS campaign against Biharis in recent weeks. As one RJD leader said this evening: “This is not the time for differences, this is the time to define unity and the pressure of opinion in Bihar has been on all leaders, they had to stand up for their people.”

Exercised over sporadic attacks and continued anti-Bihar exhortations by MNS boss Raj Thackeray, the three Bihar leaders had already secured a meeting with the Prime Minister — they were seeking action against the MNS and protection for Biharis (and other north Indians) in Maharashtra.

The killing of Rahul Raj, who had set out to convey a “message” to Raj Thackeray, pistol in hand, only fuelled their rage as they walked in to the Prime Minister’s 7 Race Course Road residence.

“The boy has been mercilessly killed, it is murder,” said Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar, emerging from the meeting. “This is symptomatic of what is happening to Biharis in Maharashtra,” added Lalu Prasad, standing beside him.

Having earlier described Raj Thackeray as a “mental case”, Lalu Prasad today demanded a ban on both the Senas and the arrest of Raj and Bal Thackeray.

“Chacha-bhatija have become criminals, they are leading gangs, they should be banned and stern action should be taken against all those who are indulging in this campaign,” Lalu Prasad said.

“We have told the Prime Minister he should ensure the safety of all people in Maharashtra and a judicial probe into the manner in which Rahul Raj was killed.”

Paswan added a warning note to the angered demands of his co-Biharis: “Don’t forget Bihar is a sleeping tiger, and it has taken our combined efforts to calm tempers and keep people cool. Biharis should not get the blame if these attacks don’t stop immediately, if they react, it will be difficult to contain their anger.”

Following the meeting, the Prime Minister spoke to Maharashtra chief minister Vilasrao Deshmukh and directed him to ensure the safety of all citizens in the state. But there was no word on whether a judicial probe would be ordered into the circumstances of Rahul Raj’s killing.