Deputy Chief Ministers, Vijay Kumar Chaudhary. File
| Photo Credit: ANI
Janata Dal (United) on Tuesday (September 15, 2026) clarified its stand on the Uniform Civil Code (UCC), the renaming of the JD(U) to Janata Dal (Nitish) and an open invitation from Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) to JD(U) chief Nitish Kumar to join hands again to form government in Bihar.
“The JD(U) will first analyse and study the provisions of the UCC and if they are found unexceptionable, why should we oppose it for no reason?” asked senior JD(U) leader and one of the Deputy Chief Ministers, Vijay Kumar Chaudhary, who is considered close to Mr. Kumar.
“First we need to see the form in which the UCC Bill is presented. Secondly, our party’s national working president has already said that after reviewing the provisions, there will be direct talks with Union Home Minister Amit Shah. After that, our party will hold a meeting and decisions regarding this will be made thereafter. If we have any concerns or perceive any problems, we will request the Home Minister to address them,” Mr. Chaudhary told reporters at the state party headquarters in Patna.
“As of now we are not aware of the details of the legislation on UCC. Let it be placed before us first. If we find there is nothing objectionable, why shall we oppose it without any reason?” added Mr. Chaudhary, a former Speaker of the State Legislative Assembly.
RJD invitation
Meanwhile, Opposition Rashtriya Janata Dal legislator from Maner constituency and senior party leader Bhai Virendra extended an open invitation to Mr. Kumar to leave the BJP and rejoin hands with the RJD to form a new government. “On the UCC, former Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has already taken a stand. We will not let the UCC be implemented in Bihar. Come join hands with us again,” the RJD leader said, asserting that the present government was working on instructions from Nagpur (where the RSS headquarters is located).
“Such elements and ideology have destroyed the country’s social fabric and will do that in future too. Nitish Kumar should immediately leave forces taking the country towards divisive policies. The JD(U)’s basic ideological principles of secularism and socialism do not match with the policies of the BJP, so we should come together again,” Mr. Virendra said.
The RJD and the JD(U) have twice formed the Mahagathbandhan (Grand Alliance) government in Bihar. Currently, the JD(U) has 85 MLAs and the RJD has 25 MLAs in the 243-member Assembly.
Reacting with a smile to the RJD’s offer, Mr. Chaudhary said: “Since when should we heed advice from the RJD? They have their own policies. We are only concerned about the advice of the five ruling alliance partners of the NDA. We will take a decision after consulting all coalition partners. We’re part of the ruling NDA coalition and we’ll take a decision after consulting all coalition partners.”
Earlier, a rift surfaced within the NDA in Bihar over the UCC. Senior JD(U) leader Shyam Rajak, on September 14, asserted that the UCC would not be implemented in Bihar at any cost. However, other allies like the Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular) and the Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) said the UCC draft should be made public for extensive discussion among stakeholders, and if there are no problems, it would be implemented in Bihar.
When asked about party national working president Sanjay Kumar Jha’s proposal to rename the JD(U) as Janata Dal (Nitish), Mr. Chaudhary said the issue would be discussed at the party’s national executive and council meetings before a decision is taken.
Published – September 15, 2026 07:37 pm IST
