Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar and other senior leaders of the Janata Dal United have signalled intent to shift away from ally BJP and return to the party’s socialist roots at the two-day state executive of the party that concluded on Sunday.

The stand has yet again brought to the fore the rift within the ruling NDA in the state. With the BJP also intensifying its attacks on the JDU and other Bihar allies, speculation is rife over the longevity of the government.

Stressing the need to “forget the poll results and get back to work” while addressing JDU leaders at the meeting, Nitish said: “We belong to the socialist ideology. We believe in the tenets of Mahatma Gandhi, Jayaprakash Narayan, Ram Manohar Lohia, Babasaheb Ambedkar and Karpoori Thakur. Our politics is to serve the people instead of harbouring selfish interests.”

“We could not take our achievements to the grassroots. We must work for the uplift of all sections of the society and you all will see that our party emerges stronger in the coming days. The National Register of Citizens will not be implemented in Bihar,” Nitish said.