librdkafka.lds:0: syntax error in VERSION script

[Valery-OT]

I'm trying to build librdkafka 2.6.1 on linux RedHat 8.1 and having the following errors during .configure script execution:
DBG 26695: ccenv: WITH_CC: --version failed: bash: --version: command not found...
DBG 26695: Setting ccenv (ccenv) status to failed (action cont)
DBG 26695: Check ccenv (WITH_CC, action cont (originally cont)) failed: command ' --version' failed:
bash: --version: command not found...
DBG 26695: Setting gcc (gcc) status to ok (action cont)
DBG 26695: cxxenv: WITH_CXX: --version failed: bash: --version: command not found...
DBG 26695: Setting cxxenv (cxxenv) status to failed (action cont)
DBG 26695: Check cxxenv (WITH_CXX, action cont (originally cont)) failed: command ' --version' failed:
bash: --version: command not found...

However I can successfully manually execute bash --version, gcc --version commands in the same session that I ran .configure:
$ bash --version
GNU bash, version 4.4.19(1)-release (x86_64-redhat-linux-gnu)
Copyright (C) 2016 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
License GPLv3+: GNU GPL version 3 or later http://gnu.org/licenses/gpl.html

This is free software; you are free to change and redistribute it.
There is NO WARRANTY, to the extent permitted by law.
$ gcc --version
gcc (GCC) 8.3.1 20190507 (Red Hat 8.3.1-4)
Copyright (C) 2018 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
This is free software; see the source for copying conditions. There is NO
warranty; not even for MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.

There is an empty librdkafka.lds file generated by .configure. It leads to linking failure with error:
/usr/bin/ld:librdkafka.lds:0: syntax error in VERSION script
collect2: error: ld returned 1 exit status
make[1]: *** [../mklove/Makefile.base:110: librdkafka.so.1] Error 1
make[1]: Leaving directory '/home/valery/C_Tools/librdkafka-2.6.1/src'
make: *** [Makefile:27: libs] Error 2

How to resolve the linking problem?