Patna: Chief minister Nitish Kumar on Monday said the RJD wasn't a political party but Lalu Prasad's private property, in his latest strike at his foe-turned-friend-turned foe.

"The RJD is not a political party. It is his (Lalu's) private property. It is like a family asset. Is there anybody else in it?" Nitish said after his Lok Samvad programme where it was pointed out that the RJD boss had filed nomination for re-election to the party president's post.

He was declared elected on Monday after the deadline to withdraw candidature ended because no one else had staked claim to the post. Chitranjan Gagan, the RJD's deputy national electoral officer, on Monday said national electoral officer Jagadanand Singh will make the official announcement of Lalu's re-election on November 21 and hand over the certificate.

"Just last year there were elections in the RJD and he (Lalu) was re-elected as the party president. Now elections are happening in 2017 too. I fail to understand its significance. Why are they being held? It's just a formality and a publicity stunt. He knows how to gather space in the media," Nitish said. The RJD constitution mandates re-elections every three years but the process undertaken suggests the turmoil in the party.

Nitish's jab at Lalu is part of the continuing spat around the RJD chief and family with the chief minister and the JDU. Nitish asserted Lalu has nothing to do with development issues and just indulges in personal attacks of a very low level.

"We have nothing to do with all these and I have already instructed my spokespersons not to retaliate against them," Nitish said, referring to the war of words flying between the two parties often in the past weeks.

Retaliating to Lalu and his family members' assertions that the RJD was stronger than the JDU with 80 seats - making it the largest single party in the Assembly, Nitish said: "They are excited about winning so many seats in the last Assembly elections. Let the next one come. They will be back to square one," Nitish said.

He called Tejashwi Prasad Yadav a "child, who has inherited the traits of his father". "Parents' property goes to the children. Lalu has implicated Tejashwi in every manner. The entire family is in frustration now," Nitish said, rounding it off saying that he would engage with the RJD only if they entered in debates on development issues.