Patna, May 11: Nitish Kumar today asserted that the decision to merge the six Janata parivar parties had already taken place, dismissing a Samajwadi Party leader's statement yesterday that "technical issues" were stalling the unity as "someone's individual's opinion".

"Six Janata Parivar factions have already declared themselves merged as one entity with Mulayam Singh Yadav as its president. Mulayam Singh ji has also been declared the president of the new outfit's parliamentary board," the Bihar chief minister said in an apparent bid to dispel the cloud of uncertainty enveloping the merger exercise in the wake of SP general secretary Ram Gopal Yadav's remarks on Sunday.

Ram Gopal had yesterday said: "The RJD-JDU merger is not possible because of technical reasons ahead of Assembly elections so close. The moment the two parties apply for merger before the Election Commission, they will find their symbols frozen causing confusion and loss of votes."

Nitish, who was speaking on the sidelines of his weekly janata durbar today at 1 Aney Marg, was pointedly asked about the "technical" issues. "There might be technical and legal issues, not political issues. The parties involved have already made up their mind to be one. There is no difference whatever between the JDU and RJD," he said.

Asked when the merger would finally be announced, Nitish recited Rahim's couplet, " Dheeray dheeray re mana, dheeray sab kuchh hoye, Mali seenche sau ghada, ritu aaye phal hoye (Things unfold slowly. A gardener pours hundreds of pitchers filled with water on a plant but the plant bears fruits only when the season comes)."

Nitish, in what sources said was an effort to keep up the morale of his party workers, counselled patience. "Have patience. Everything is on the right track. Everything will come to the fore at an appropriate time," he said.

The chief minister sought to send the signal that he was not attaching much credence to Ram Gopal's statement. "In a democracy, everyone has the right to speak his mind. Such talk does happen at times but they hardly impact any political decision that has been arrived at after thorough discussions. There is no question of going back on the merger issue," said Nitish, who is one of the key drivers of the Janata unity.

RJD boss Lalu Prasad, who landed here today from New Delhi, too sought to put a positive foot forward amid speculation that it was his demands on seat-sharing in the Assembly polls that were holding up the merger. "Technical issues are involved. We will sit together to sort them out," he said.

Replying to a query related to sharing of 24 Legislative Council seats going to the polls, Nitish sounded positive. "We (JDU and RJD) are talking. A positive result will come out," he said. Asked about the accommodation of the Congress and Left in the Council polls, he added: "Let us first thrash out the issues among the Janata parivar members. They (Cong and Left) are friendly partners. Efforts will be made to take them on board."

Nitish pointed out that a "small doubt" created by a Janata parivar leader's remark had sent a wave of jubilation through the BJP ranks. "It proves how anxious they (BJP) are about the exercise of the Janata parivar merger," he said.