Prashant Kishor wanted RJD, JD(U) to combine, declare PM candidate: Rabri Devi drops a bombshell

Former Bihar chief minister Rabri Devi on Friday dropped a bombshell claiming that poll strategist Prashant Kishor h met her husband Lalu Pras with proposal that RJD and Nitish Kumar's JD(U) merge toger and new entity thus formed declare its "prime ministerial candidate" ahe of Lok Sabha polls.

If Kishor denies having met Pras with such a proposal, he is speaking a "blatant lie", she said.

"I got infuriated and asked him to go away as I h trust left in Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar following his betrayal," RJD national vice-president, who is also leer of opposition in legislative council, told a regional news channel here.

Kumar h in 2017 walked out of Grand Alliance, which was formed upon his party's partnership with RJD and Congress. He re-joined BJP-led NDA.

"All our staff and security personnel deployed here are witnesses. He called on us at least five times, mostly here (her 10, Circular Ro residence), and one or two times at paanch number (5, Deshratna Marg - bungalow allotted to her younger son Tejashwi Yav)," Rabri Devi said.

"Kishor was sent by Nitish Kumar with proposal - 'let us merge both parties and declare a prime ministerial candidate'. He came in bro daylight and t clandestinely in dark of night," she asserted.

Rabri Devi's revelation came close on heels of Pras in his recently-published autobiography, claiming that Kishor - w JD(U) national vice-president - h met him as an emissary of Nitish Kumar with proposal that chief minister's party be re-inducted into Grand Alliance.

Kishor, who became a full-time member of JD(U) in September last year, took to Twitter mitting that he h met Pras "many times" before joining party, but ded, "If I were to tell what all was discussed, he (Lalu) would be quite embarrassed".

Products of 1974 "JP movement", Pras and Kumar h long association with each or before y separared in mid-90s.

As a key strategist, Kumar used to be kwn as "Lalu's Chanakya" after latter became leer of opposition in 1989 in Bihar assembly after death of veteran socialist leer Karpoori Thakur.

He h also played an important role in making Pras Chief Minister of Bihar in 1990. But, by 1994, differences h started to crop up between two top leers of Mandal campaign, that led to providing reservation in government jobs to OBC. Kumar walked out of Janata Dal to form Samta Party with socialist icon George Fernandes.

Three years later, Lalu broke away from party to form Rashtriya Janata Party (RJD) in 1997. same year, Lalu lost chief minister's chair because of his alleged involvement in fodder scam but in an unexpected move me wife Rabri Devi chief minister.

Kumar's Samta Party formed an alliance with BJP in 1996 general elections.

After a protracted fight, Kumar mand to finally remove RJD from power in 2005. Since, n Kumar has been serving as CM except for a brief period in 2014 when he h quit post after his party got a drubbing in hands of Narendra Modi's BJP and appointed Jitan Ram Manjhi on seat.

Kumar and Pras joined hands in 2015 and defeated BJP in Bihar assembly election. But, y parted company again in July 2017 over graft charges against RJD supremo's son Tejashwi Yav.

Rabri Devi also expressed displeasure over Kumar's claim that RJD supremo keeps talking to Kishor from jail, saying

"Even we,(family members), do t get an opportunity for a telephonic talk with him (Lalu Pras). And what about claim by Anant Singh that while he was in jail, Lalan Singh (minister) used to arrange his telephonic talks with Nitish".

A mafia don-turned-politician who represents Mokama assembly segment, Anant Singh was earlier considered close to Bihar chief minister, but fell out with him prior to 2015 assembly polls.

His wife Neelam Devi is contesting Lok Sabha polls as a Congress candidate from Munger, where she is pitted against JD(U)'s Lalan Singh - a state minister and close aide of chief minister.

Anant Singh me claim in a recent interview to a local news portal.