New Delhi [India], August 12 (ANI): Recalling the political tiff between Janata Dal (United) and Rashtriya Janata Dal and comparing it with the present-day situation, Deputy Chief Minister and Rashtriya Janata Dal leader Tejashwi Yadav on Friday said it is normal to have "nok-jhok" between two like-minded parties and asserted that both the parties are "samajwadi" in nature.

"Nok jhok hote rehte hai. We are Samajwadi people. Long ago, Nitish Kumar ji had called me as a son of his brother-like friend. He has even called me 'babu' in the past. He always addressed me with respect. But, we, together as one, will not hamper the spirit of democracy. We, unlike BJP, will not let that happen. BJP is scaring people by using the scanner of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). We can see what political developments surfaced in Maharashtra and Gujarat. And Madhya Pradesh as well," Tejashwi Yadav told ANI.

Speaking on the caste-based census, Tejashwi said that it is a matter of "national interest" and we are working on it.

In yet another move that puts the BJP on the defensive, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar in May this year had said that his government would start work on the caste-based census in the State and as the first step towards this, has called for an all-party meeting to be held on May 27. In October last year, in a submission to the Supreme Court, the Narendra Modi government at the Centre had already ruled out the possibility of holding a nationwide caste census.

Speaking further to ANI today, the RJD leader broke his silence on the 2024 General Elections. He said, "If PM Narendra Modi can become the Prime Minister of the country, then anybody can become the Prime Minister of the country. I can say it again. What Bihar has done recently (in terms of political developments) has sent a message to the people of the country."The RJD leader asserted that all Opposition parties should come together to pull down the agendas of the NDA government.

Meanwhile, Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav, who reached the national capital on Thursday late evening, met Congress interim president Sonia Gandhi today, a move which comes days ahead of the floor test in the Bihar Assembly on August 24. Tejashwi arrived in Delhi for the celebration of Raksha Bandhan. He also met RJD supremo Lalu Prasad Yadav and discuss the recent developments in Bihar. This is Tejashwi's first meeting with Sonia Gandhi after returning to power in Bihar where Nitish Kumar split from the BJP-led NDA and rejoined the previous alliance Mahagathbandhan.

The RJD leader on Thursday called the recent tie-up of Nitish Kumar's JD(U) with Mahagathbandhan "a natural alliance and not a deal", and claimed that Bihar will be the largest government jobs-providing state within a month. (ANI)