Patna, June 22: RJD and JDU leaders engaged in a war of words over chief minister Nitish Kumar's support for NDA candidate Ram Nath Kovind as President. One RJD leader even took a Jaichand dig without taking any names.

Senior RJD leader and former Union minister Raghuvansh Prasad Singh said Nitish's decision is a big setback for efforts to unite secular parties. "On the one hand, Nitish takes the lead in forming a Grand Alliance-like opposition at the national level and on the other hand he supports the BJP," Raghuvansh said. "I don't understand the logic. Nitish has confused the people of Bihar."

On Wednesday, Nitish held a daylong meeting with his MLAs, ministers and senior leaders after which JDU chief general secretary K.C. Tyagi announced that the party would back Kovind in the presidential race.

What got its alliance partner's goat was the JDU's decision to announce it a day before the scheduled meeting of Opposition party leaders in Delhi under the leadership of Congress chief Sonia Gandhi. Senior Congress leaders like Ghulam Nabi Azad had come to Patna to convince Nitish to reverse his decision but Nitish had made up his mind.

Raghuvansh said the presidential poll was a good opportunity for the Opposition to stand united on one issue but Nitish shifted his loyalty at the last hour. "Nitish's decision to support the BJP candidate proves that his actions are suspicious and he would face the problem of trust deficit in the coming days," Raghuvansh said. "As far as I understand, alliance means taking steps together, but he has chosen the other path. Be it demonetisation or the UP Assembly polls, Nitish has always gone against alliance dharma."

Asked how long the RJD would continue to repose faith in Nitish, Raghuvansh said: "We have to trust him until he declares he is joining hands with the BJP. At the same time, we will keep fighting communal forces like the BJP." He also said that the one person who was weakening the unity of secular forces was Nitish.

This is not the first time Raghuvansh has attacked Nitish. In the past, the RJD national vice-president had attacked his government for poor Intermediate results and Nitish for skipping Sonia's lunch and attending Prime Minister Narendra Modi's lunch instead. "Nitish possibly finds the PM's lunches more delicious," Raghuvansh said.

The JDU said it was free to take its own decision at the national level and they were least concerned what RJD leaders say on the presidential candidate. "When Nitish ji was with the NDA he had supported Pranab Mukherjee," JDU spokesperson and MLC Sanay Singh said. "We have a Grand alliance in Bihar and not in the country. We're free to take any decision. Ram Nath Kovind is a good man and our leader decided to support him on the basis of his tenure as governor. When we know he is a good man, there is no need to wait for an Opposition meeting."

JDU state unit president Bashishtha Narayan Singh said all three Grand Alliance parties were free to take their own stand on any issue.

"It seems a few people have replaced Jaichand (synonymous with treachery)," RJD MLA Bhai Birendra said without taking any names. "How can they take their own decision when there is a Grand Alliance? The Opposition meeting was scheduled today over his (read Nitish) call. What was the hurry to announce when a meeting was scheduled?"