Picture Courtesy : The Indian Express
The rift in the JD(U) is now out in the open. Sharad Yadav who was unhappy with the Nitish Kumar’s alliance with the BJP ditching the mahagathbandhan was removed as party leader in the Rajya Sabha. Nitish loyalist RCP Singh was named successor.
According to various media reports, The JD (U) MPs met Rajya Sabha Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu to hand him a letter appointing Singh as the leader of the JDU in the upper house, the leader said.
RCP Singh is said to be a trusted lieutenant of Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar.
The JDU has 10 members in the Rajya Sabha. It had last night suspended its Rajya Sabha member Ali Anwar Ansari from the parliamentary party for attending a meeting of opposition parties convened by Congress president Sonia Gandhi.
Yadav, who is on a tour of Bihar, has said he still believes he is a part of the Grand Alliance with the RJD and the Congress. The JDU is not just Nitish Kumar’s party, but also his party, he has said.
Yadav also claimed that the real JDU was with him and the one with Kumar was ‘sarkari’ JDU.
In a related development, BJP president Amit Shah said in a tweet today that he had invited Mr Kumar to join the ruling NDA.
