The Janata Dal (United) looks all set for a split amid murmurs of likely disciplinary action against its senior party leader Sharad Yadav who embarks on a three-day long tour of Bihar to gauge the mood of voters following Nitish Kumar’s decision to part ways with the Grand Alliance and join hands with the BJP to return to power.
Party sources said that CM Nitish Kumar was unhappy with Yadav over his public remarks expressing his reservations with the developments that transpired last month. The sources said that Kumar may sack Yadav from the party for indulging in anti-party activities.
Meanwhile, no JD(U) MLA or leader arrived at Patna airport to receive Yadav. However, supporters of party’s Gujarat unit general secretary, Arun Shrivastav, who was sacked earlier this week, were present at the airport. Few RJD workers were also present there.
“The disintegration of Grand Alliance government in Bihar has broken trust of 11 crore citizens of the state,” he told reporters at the airport.
Last month, Yadav had openly voiced his dissent following Kumar’s decision to form government with support from the BJP. Yesterday too, Yadav congratulated Congress leader Ahmed Patel on winning the prestigious Rajya Sabha election in Gujarat. This raised many eyebrows because the Janata Dal (United) had directed its lone MLA in Gujarat, Chhotu Vasava, to vote in favour of BJP's Balwantsinh Rajput. However, Vasava said that he voted for Congress' nominee Ahmed Patel.
Yadav, a Rajya Sabha member, will be in the state for next three days. He will visit at least 28 places including Darbhanga, Supaul, Saharasa, Muzzaffarpur and Madhepura and hold public interaction programmes. This will be Yadav’s first public appearance in the state after last month’s turn of events. Yadav had in the past termed Kumar’s decision to ally with BJP as a betrayal of people’s mandate.
