Nitish wishes speedy recovery to Lalu

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar onSunday wished speedy recovery to his arch rival Lalu Prasad,who has been rushed to New Delhi following markeddeterioration in health and with whom he has shared a love-hate relationship for close to five decades.

The JD(U) de facto leader also rued the fact that he nowhad to remain content with news about the ailing RJD supremogathered from newspapers since his telephonic enquiries aboutthe latters health in the recent past had triggered acontroversy.

''It is my fervent wish that he gets well as soon aspossible'', Kumar told reporters here when asked about Prasadwhom he had dethroned in 2005, less than two decades afterhaving supported his ascent in the states politics.

The chief minister was talking to journalists outside theJD(U) state headquarters here, where he had gone to paytributes to former Chief Minister and OBC stalwart KarpooriThakur on his birth anniversary.

Both Kumar and Prasad consider Thakur to be theirpolitical guru.

With a hint of regret in his voice, Kumar added ''I used tofrequently call up his personal attendants and enquire abouthis well being when he had similarly fallen ill in 2018. Somany things were said about me because of that''.

Notably, in 2017 Kumar had abruptly walked out of thecoalition he had formed with the RJD and the Congress andformed a new government with the BJP.

The soft corner he displayed for Prasad during hisillness had triggered speculations that he was feeling uneasyin the BJP-led coalition and seeking a rapprochement with theRJD chief.

Their bitter rivalry notwithstanding, Kumar has oftendisplayed his person affection for Prasad against whom hepulls no punches in the political arena.

Recently, while admonishing his son Tejashwi Yadav forimpudence the chief minister had underscored that he hasbeen too charitable with the 31 years old, who was also hisformer deputy, because he was ''mere bhai samaan dost ka beta''(the son of a friend, dear to me like a brother).

Replying to queries about the states budget for the nextfinancial year, which is scheduled to be tabled in theassembly on February 22, the chief minister said the people ofBihar may look forward to more development and many newschemes besides completion of the existing ones.