Left and JD-U are old friends, says Nitish

Terming Left parties as old friends, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Monday said his party Janata Dal-United and the comrades share same opinion on a number of issues, including the Indo-US nuclear deal.

"The Left and we are old friends. We have been with the Left for a long time since the days of the Janta Dal and we have a lot of experience with them," Nitish told NDTV.

He also sought to hint at the ideological proximity between the two saying, "Both the parties are of same opinion concerning the nuclear deal and many other issues."

The remarks made by Bharatiya Janata Party's key ally is all set to fuel speculations and have come a day after the JD-U dismissed reports that the party may join the Congress after the elections.

"JD(U) is a constituent of NDA (National Democratic Alliance) and will remain so. Some people are trying to spread rumour," JD(U) national spokesman Shivanand Tiwari told PTI in Patna dismissing Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit's claim that the party may align with the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance after the elections.

Earlier, Communist Party of India-Marxist leader Sitaram Yechury's meeting with JD-U President Sharad Yadav a few months back had led to the grapevine that Nitish's party is inching closer to Third Front.

However, JD-U leaders had dismissed the notion and described the visit as a personal one.