'But he doesn't want to shut the door completely on the Yadav family as that could create problems for him in 2019,' says Satyavrat Mishra.
It was late in the evening on November 3. The phone at the chief minister's residence in Patna rang twice before an assistant answered.
On the other side, a husky voice told the assistant, 'Mananiye Mulayam Singh Yadavji, Nitishji se baat karna chahte hain (Mulayam Singh Yadav wants to speak to Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar).'
The call was transferred to the Bihar CM's home office, where he was buried in work. The two leaders spoke for 15 to 20 minutes.
The Samajwadi Party chief invited Kumar to the party's silver jubilee function, scheduled the next day in Lucknow.
Kumar, also the Janata Dal-United president, turned down the invitation politely. The Bihar CM said he would be busy with Chhath Puja, but assured that his predecessor Sharad Yadav would be there.
Mulayam, although a bit unhappy, hung up. It was as if Kumar was giving him a taste of his own medicine.
Last year, after taking back the reins of the state, Kumar and Rashtriya Janata Dal chief Lalu Prasad undertook hectic parleys for the merger of the Janata Parivar to counter the Bharatiya Janata Party rise.
In May 2015, six parties of the Janata Parivar met at Mulayam Singh's home in Delhi and decided to go ahead with the merger. They chose Mulayam as their leader and the decision was announced publicly amid much pomp and show.
However, things soon went south and, within a couple of months, it became clear that there would be no merger.
In the heat of assembly elections in Bihar last year, Mulayam even accused Kumar of cheating by holding talks with the Congress.
Kumar, it seems, has not forgotten that.
Therefore, for the past six months, he has been openly slamming the SP supremo.
Last month, when the Yadav family feud in Lucknow was at a peak, he dared Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister and Mulayam's son Akhilesh Yadav to come out of his father's shadow.
He also came down heavily on Yadav senior. 'We even offered him the post of president in the reconstituted Janata Dal and the head of the group in Parliament. But he walked away. The role he played in the Bihar elections brought him a curse, which has manifested as the feud in party and family,' Kumar told the JD-U national convention in Rajgir in October.
Given the importance of Kurmi votes in the crucial UP assembly polls, Mulayam wants to join hands with him. However, Kumar isn't interested now. And this isn't the only reason.
Despite repeated invitations from the Yadavs in Uttar Pradesh, he chose to skip the ceremonial bash. The party leaders put the blame on SP infighting. Senior JD-U leaders say they didn't want to be seen as siding with a group in the family feud.
Nitish Kumar endorsed the sentiment, although in hints. 'We don't want to get involved in the SP's internal dispute,' he said.
Further, he has been refusing to even acknowledge the coalition the SP is trying put together in poll-bound Uttar Pradesh as a 'Grand Alliance.'
'In Bihar, the Maha Gathbandhan was formed after the two main parties -- the RJD and JD-U -- buried the hatchet and joined hands. Therefore, a grand alliance in UP is only possible if the Bahujan Samaj Party and SP join hands. Otherwise, it's only an alliance,' Nitish said a few days ago.
Party insiders say the Bihar chief minister likes to play safe.
According to them, he doesn't want to shut the door completely on the Yadav family as that could create problems for him in 2019. Therefore, some leaders point towards back channel discussions between his advisor Prashant Kishor and Shivpal Yadav.
"Kumar understands the importance of Mulayam Singh. His support will be crucial in 2019, hence, he is also playing safe," says an insider.
"Attacks on the SP chief have been toned down since last month, but this doesn't mean the JD-U is ready to join hands yet. As of now, the party plans to contest 15 or 20 seats in UP, just enough to show its acceptance at the national level," the insider adds.
By opposing the Yadav patriarch, the JD-U finds itself at odds with its biggest ally, the RJD, which has already distanced itself from the JD-U on this issue.
Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Tejaswi Yadav categorically said his party and family will campaign for the SP in the coming UP polls, irrespective of the JD-U's intentions.
His father Lalu Prasad not only participated in the SP's silver jubilee bash on November 5, but also portrayed himself as a referee in the Yadav family feud.
However, this doesn't seem to a problem with the JD-U. Kumar's lieutenants say it is a family matter for the RJD chief as Lalu's daughter is married to Mulayam's grand nephew.
Lalu has also dismissed any suggestions of differences between the two parties over this matter. However, the corridors of power in Patna are abuzz with speculation.
Some say the UP elections results will have an impact on the alliance in Bihar as Lalu and Kumar will be pitted against each other.
However, insiders from both the parties deny such speculation. "It is highly unlikely that it would have any immediate impact on the Grand Alliance in Bihar. Both Lalu and Kumar understand the importance of being in power."
"Kumar needs to portray himself as an able administrator to compete against Narendra Modi in 2019 and Lalu's sons need experience to portray themselves as a better substitute for Kumar in Bihar in 2020," says a senior politician.
But all options, as they say, are open.
IMAGE: Mulayam Singh Yadav, Nitish Kumar, Sharad Yadav and Lalu Prasad Yadav at the announcement of the merger of the Janata Parivar last year, which fell through. Photograph: PTI
