Patna: The divergence of preferences of the two main constituents of the NDA in Bihar - the JDU and the BJP - came to the fore on Thursday during the official event organised in a stadium here to mark the International Day of Yoga.

The event had been organised jointly by the health department and the art, culture and youth affairs department.

While BJP leaders, right from the top to the bottom, congregated at the stadium to showcase their yoga skills, those from the JDU chose to look the other way, with no prominent face from the party visible at the main event.

This happened even though all important JDU leaders, including chief minister Nitish Kumar, had been invited to be a part of the event that is being organised since 2015 after the UN accepted India's proposal to observe June 21 as International Day of Yoga.

As the divergence was out in the open, party leaders from both sides tried to play down the issue and at the same time maintained that all was well within the alliance.

"The event had been organised under the guidance and direction of the chief minister. Nitish Kumar is our chief minister and we cannot do anything without his permission," senior BJP leader and health minister Mangal Pandey said.

He maintained that who came to the event or who didn't was not an issue and no message should be derived from such things.

Art, culture and youth affairs minister Krishna Kumar Rishi, while sharing the fact that invitations had been sent to all, including JDU leaders, said the presence or absence of anyone should not be seen from a party angle.

"There is nothing like divergence as the event had been organised by the consent of the government. It is not that those who hadn't come to the main venue didn't do yoga at all. They did it at their own places," Rishi said.

JDU leader and minority welfare minister Khurshid, alias Feroz Ahmad, toed a similar line and said: "I did yoga at my residence. Yoga is very important for good health."

JDU spokesperson Ajay Alok too tried to play down the issue, claiming that yoga event was being organised since 2015 in the state and JDU leaders had never attended it. "We believe yoga is a very personal thing, but at the same time we have nothing against those who do it publicly," he said.

Alok said the JDU leadership had not issued any guidelines as such to its leaders as far as attending the main event was concerned, and it had been left to individuals.

Amid the fire-dousing statements being issued by BJP and JDU leaders, sources in both parties accepted that the two parties had divergent views on the yoga day extravaganza.

"Nitish ji has always been against public display of such things and adhered to his stand despite joining hands with the BJP. As he is the party's national president, other leaders of the party, too avoided joining the show," said a JDU leader who is a minister in the state.

BJP insiders, on the other hand, claimed that by organising a big show on behalf of the state government, the party had been able to exhibit its say in the government.