A quiet 8 am meeting between former Union Minister and ex-Janata Dal (United) president RCP Singh and Bihar's Chief Minister Nitish Kumar in Patna on 27 June has set off a wave of political speculation across the state — and triggered a sharp public rebuke from the JD-U leadership.

JD-U Fires Back

JD-U spokesperson Neeraj Kumar wasted no time in going on the offensive. He remarked that after 'wandering from place to place,' RCP Singh had finally returned to the political doorstep that had originally shaped his career. According to Neeraj Kumar, the visit amounted to Singh seeking forgiveness from Nitish Kumar — a pointed characterisation that framed the meeting as one of supplication rather than negotiation.

Neeraj Kumar stated that RCP Singh had made political missteps, switched camps repeatedly, and had now reportedly come to the conclusion that his future remained tied to Nitish Kumar's leadership. He was careful to add, however, that any decision on Singh's potential return to the party would rest solely with the JD-U leadership.

The Morning Meeting Controversy

Neeraj Kumar moved to deflate the meeting's political significance by contextualising it within Nitish Kumar's routine. He noted that the Chief Minister regularly holds morning interactions with members of the public and party workers, and that a meeting around 8 am should not automatically be read as a signal of political rehabilitation. The implication was clear: this was not a back-channel negotiation, but an ordinary morning audience.

He also drew attention to an irony that the JD-U found particularly telling — RCP Singh, who once controlled access to Nitish Kumar and arranged meetings for others, now had to wait his turn for an opportunity to meet the Chief Minister himself.

Loyalty and the Cost of Departure

Neeraj Kumar accused RCP Singh of having weakened the JD-U during his exit from the organisation. He argued that the party had survived the turbulence of Singh's departure solely because of Nitish Kumar's leadership and the values he embodied.

The spokesperson also recalled past statements attributed to RCP Singh, including remarks that had questioned Nitish Kumar's political relevance and described him as a figure of history. By surfacing these comments, the JD-U signalled that trust and loyalty — once broken — carry a political cost.

RCP Singh's Political Journey

RCP Singh was once among Nitish Kumar's closest associates. He served as the Chief Minister's principal secretary before entering active politics, eventually rising to become JD-U national president, a Rajya Sabha member, and a Union minister in the NDA government. A falling-out with the party leadership led to his departure from the JD-U. He subsequently joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and later associated himself with Jan Suraaj.

His decision to meet Nitish Kumar now — after multiple political affiliations — has inevitably prompted speculation about a possible return to his original political home. Whether that speculation translates into anything concrete remains to be seen, with the JD-U making clear the next move, if any, lies entirely with the party.