Terming Left parties as old friends, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Monday said his party JD-U and the comrades share same opinion on a number of issues, including the Indo-US nuclear deal.

"The Left and we are old friends. We have been with the left for a long time since the days of the Janta Dal and we have a lot of experience with them," Nitish was quoted as saying on a TV channel. He also sought to hint at the ideological proximity between the two saying, "Both the parties are of same opinion concerning the nuclear deal and many other issues".

The remarks made by BJP's key ally is all set to fuel speculations and have come a day after the JD-U dismissed reports that the party may join Congress after the elections.

"JD(U) is a constituent of NDA and will remain so. Some people are trying to spread rumour," JD(U) national spokesman Shivanand Tiwari said in Patna dismissing Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit's claim that the party may align with Congress-led UPA after the elections.

Earlier, CPI-M leader Sitaram Yechury's meeting with JD-U President Sharad Yadav a few months back had led to the grapevine that Nitish's party is inching closer to Third Front. However, JD-U leaders had dismissed the notion and described the visit as a personal one.