PATNA, June 28 -- In what is seen as a sign of rapprochement, former Union minister and former Janata Dal (United) national president Ramchandra Prasad Singh, known as RCP in political circles, met former Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar along with his supporters on Saturday. The meeting lasted 10 minutes. The meeting has fuelled speculations that Singh, once a close aide of Kumar, might return to his parent party, which he quit four years ago. Singh tweeted after the meeting: "Today I met our leader, respected Nitish Kumar, former CM of Bihar, national president of the JD(U) and Rajya Sabha MP. I spoke with him. The meeting was very cordial." Later talking to mediapersons, Singh said, "I met Nitish Kumar after four years, and it felt very good. Nitish Kumar has been, is, and will continue to be my leader. I met him today after years, and he appeared completely healthy." Singh further said that their "relation is intact" and that "when a meeting takes place, a new innings begins." He also shared a photo from the meeting. The bureaucrat-turned-politician said that his association with Kumar had been "25 years long" and claimed that Kumar's "body language suggested that he was happy to see me." Singh became JD (U) national president in 2020, even though his performance as the national general secretary (organisation) in the assembly polls was questioned when the party put up its worst-ever performance. His acceptance of a Union cabinet berth in 2021 caused him to run afoul of Nitish Kumar, who opposed the JD(U) getting a "token representation" in the council of ministers. Kumar denied Singh a third consecutive term in the Rajya Sabha in 2022, and Singh resigned from his ministerial berth afterward. The former JD(U) national president quit the party in 2022 following allegations of trying to engineer a split within its ranks. He has remained estranged from Nitish Kumar in recent years following political developments within the Janata Dal (United). Singh had earlier also worked in the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). In May 2025, Singh merged his party Aap Sabki Aawaz with Prashant Kishor's Jan Suraaj Party. Speculation has been rife for some time that RCP may return to the JD(U). On January 11 this year, RCP attended a dahi-chura feast organised by the Patel Seva Sangh at Patel Bhavan in Patna along with Nitish Kumar, but the two did not speak. Later, during an event, RCP called Nitish Kumar his "guardian" and praised his work. This fuelled speculation about his return to the JD(U). When questioned, he stated that the time would reveal everything. JD(U) spokesperson Neeraj Kumar, however, downplayed the speculation that Singh could return to the party. "Our party had a very bitter experience with him. His activities in the party reflected a well-planned strategy to plunge it into the abyss. He had brought our number in the Bihar assembly to as low as 43. How low will he take us now?" he said. The JD (U) spokesperson said he doesn't trust Singh and alleged that the former JD(U) leader described Nitish Kumar as "unworthy of remaining active" in politics during the assembly elections....