Rashtriya Janata Dal President Lalu Prasad Yadav and Lok Janshakti Party chief Ramvilas Paswan, who have voiced resentment over Congress overtures to Janata Dal-United leader Nitish Kumar, have decided to keep away from the meeting of the Union Cabinet on Friday.
"Yes, the Railway minister is not going to Delhi to attend the cabinet meeting," his private secretary Bhola Yadav told PTI. He, however, sought to play it down saying that the Railway minister had not attended several cabinet meetings while remaining in Delhi in the past.
"Unless there is any agenda of his department, it is not necessary for him to go. The media is
just playing up the issue," Yadav said.
Prasad's decision not to attend the cabinet meeting comes within days of All India Congress Committee General Secretary Rahul Gandhi appearing to reach out to JD-U, a key BJP ally.
"I am not saying only we have leaders, there are leaders who are in the opposition. Nitish (Bihar Chief Minister) for example
I think the intention (to work) is there," Rahul had said on Tuesday when asked whether non-Congress governments were not doing well in the matter of development.
Prasad's cabinet colleague, Fertilisers minister Paswan is currently in West Bengal for electioneering and is set to return to Delhi on Saturday.