PM Modi likely to visit Bihar on April 24: Union Panchayati Raj Minister

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be in Bihar later this month to attend a function organised on the occasion of ' Panchayati Raj Day', his cabinet colleague Rajiv Ranjan Singh said on Saturday. The JD(U) leader, who holds the Panchayati Raj portfolio, was talking to reporters at the state BJP headquarters, where leaders of the NDA in Bihar attended a meeting to review preparations for the PM's tour of April 24.

The meeting was also addressed by Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, who flew in for the occasion and interacted via video conference with officials in Madhubani, the north Bihar district that PM Modi is scheduled to visit.

"The PM's Madhubani tour on Panchayat Diwas is going to be historic", said Singh, also known as Lalan Singh.

Asked whether the visit was being used to send a political message about NDA unity ahead of the upcoming assembly polls, Singh firmly dismissed the suggestion.

"Please do not try to run your own agenda. The PM will not be reading from your script", snapped the Munger MP.

The NDA in Bihar comprises BJP, JD(U) headed by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, Union Minister Chirag Paswan's Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) and three smaller allies.