Bhubaneswar, March 7: The death of former Lok Sabha Speaker and socialist leader Rabi Ray brought two chief ministers - Naveen Patnaik and his Bihar counterpart Nitish Kumar - together after they had last met in New Delhi a couple of months ago.
The coming together of the two leaders, who are known for their stance against the Union government, and their closed-door meeting, held on their return from Ray's funeral at his native village in Bhanragada, set tongues wagging about a possible alliance between the two to fight the Narendra Modi-led NDA at the Centre.
Emerging from the one-on-one meeting that lasted for 10 minutes, Nitish, however, spiked all speculations. The Bihar chief minister said: "We discussed personal matters. After taking over the responsibility of Bihar chief minister, I hardly got time to meet him. I meet him whenever I get a chance. The last time we met, it was in Delhi."
The meeting is being considered significant in the context of the BJP emerging stronger and occupying the second place after the BJD in the recently concluded panchayat polls in Odisha. With the BJP effectively replacing the Congress as the main Opposition party in the state, it is being seen as the main challenger to the BJD in the 2019 election.
Later in the day, Janata Dal United leader Sharad Yadav also arrived at Naveen Nivas for a meeting with the chief minister. Brushing aside suggestions about the emergence of a possible Third Front against the Centre, Yadav said it was a courtesy visit.
"This is not time to discuss such things. Let us wait for the results of the UP polls." However, he said it would be good if all secular forces came together.
Talking to PTI, Yadav, however, said: "The issue of UP elections cropped up during the meeting."
The JDU leader said Odisha's panchayat election results and the BJD's performance were also discussed. "I was informed that BJD candidates secured less seats (zila parishad) this time due to infighting and the Congress being pushed to the third place in Odisha politics," he said.
Talking about BJP's celebration over the party coming second in the panchayat polls, Yadav told PTI: "They make more noise than required."
Though the two leaders denied talks about a possible secular alliance cropping up in their meetings with Naveen, politicians in Odisha did not rule out the possibility of the two coming together at the national level.
Senior Congress leader Pradeep Majhi said: "Earlier, Nitish Kumar had talked about the formation of an alliance against the BJP-led Modi. So, the possibility cannot be ruled out."
However, BJP senior leader Suresh Pujari said: "It is too early to talk of an alliance. Besides, even if all the Opposition forces gang up against Modi, the BJP has the ability to fight alone."
Speculations about the two leaders coming together got fillip as both the chief ministers, who enjoy massive popularity in their respective states, have made common cause in the past on issues such as central negligence and demand special category status.
Naveen had dumped the BJP on the eve of 2009 Assembly elections to shore up his secular image. Ever since he has been following a policy of equal distance from the Congress and the BJP. Nitish, too, has distanced himself from Modi and his team after ruling Bihar in alliance with the BJP.
Though both of them remain critical of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's style of functioning, they had welcomed the demonetisation decision saying it would stop the flow of black money.
Political observers say that both Naveen and Nitish are keenly watching the outcome of UP Assembly polls. It is widely being speculated that the UP poll outcome would have a major bearing on the BJP's political fate at the national level.
Rabi Ray's funeral
Chief minister Naveen Patnaik, his Bihar counterpart Nitish Kumar and JDU leader Sharad Yadav turned up at Bhanragada village, 36 km from Bhubaneswar, this afternoon to pay respects to former Lok Sabha Speaker Rabi Ray, who passed away in Cuttack yesterday after protracted illness.
At the Ray funeral, people from all sections of society, including former Union ministers Srikant Jena and Braja Kishore Tripathy and Odisha ministers Sanjay Das Burma and Pranab Prakash Das, were seen paying respects to the departed leader.
BJD MLA Ranendra Pratap Swain and Sashi Bhushan Behera were also present. The state today observed a day's mourning in the honour of Ray.
