Patna, March 28: Chief minister Nitish Kumar today exuded confidence that the Janata parivar merger was very much on the cards and would take place sooner than later.

" Janata parivar ke vilay ki gaadi patri par hai aur gaadi chal padi hai (The Janata parivar merger train is running on the right track)," Nitish told reporters on the sidelines of a skill development conclave organised by the labour department and Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) here.

Nitish, who returned here last evening after holding detailed parleys with several leaders, including Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav, RJD chief Lalu Prasad, JDU president Sharad Yadav and INLD leader Om Prakash Chautala, who is incarcerated in Tihar Jail in New Delhi, said: "The merger will no longer take time. There is no cloud of uncertainty hovering over the merger."

The chief minister said Mulayam, who had been authorised to carry forward the process of merger, would hold meetings with the JDS chief, H.D. Deve Gowda, and Chautala. "Another date for holding a meeting on the issue will be announced soon. Many things will take final shape in that meeting," he said.

What appears to have added to Nitish's confidence about the Janata factions' amalgamation are "strong indications" emanating from Mulayam and Lalu's camps in this direction. Sources in the RJD said Lalu was under "tremendous" pressure from the Muslim lobby in his party to merge with Nitish's outfit in a bid to solidly counter the BJP in the Assembly elections due in winter. The Muslims and the Yadavs constitute over 30 per cent of the state's electorate.

"Lalu, who has lost his eligibility to contest elections after his conviction in a fodder scam case, continues to be doubtful about his political stature in the post-merger scenario. But he can ill afford to wish away the will of the Muslim community, which constitutes 16 per cent of the state's electorate and also constitutes the nucleus of the Muslim-Yadav combination that Lalu's politics is based on," a source close to Lalu said.

On the other hand, Nitish, the strongest champion of the merger, must have given "concrete guarantee" to Lalu about his stature and role in the post merger scenario, getting him finally agreed on the issue, the sources said. The sources also maintained that Mulayam who was initially believed to be "reluctant" on the merger for fear of losing the cycle symbol or Samajwadi tag without gaining anything concrete in Uttar Pradesh too has given up his reluctance and has plunged in the merger exercise whole heartedly.

CM-Modi meet

Sharing the content of his meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi yesterday, Nitish said: "I had a detailed discussion with him about the issues related to the development of the state. I requested him to compensate for the loss to the state due to the 14th finance commission's recommendations. The Prime Minister assured me of taking proper action. The talks took place in a congenial atmosphere."

Nitish said he also drew Modi's attention towards the long-pending demand of the special category status to Bihar. "I apprised him of how the special category status would ensure tax concessions making people invest in the state," he said.