JD(U)'s Sharad Yadav revolts against Nitish Kumar, accuses him of betraying public mandate

Senior JD(U) leader and Rajya Sabha member Sharad Yadav on his first day of Bihar tour on Thursday revolted against Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and accused him of betraying the public mandate by siding with NDA. Veteran socialist leader Yadav vented his ire in Hajipur en route to Muzaffarpur where he addressed a public meeting. Yadav has been against breaking the grand alliance with RJD and Congress. However, he had refrained from attacking Nitish directly until now. [caption id=“attachment_698366” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] File image of Nitish Kumar and Sharad Yadav. PTI[/caption] But Yadav did not spare Nitish on his first day of visit signalling he is ready to face any action from the party. “People have been cheated. They voted Mahagathbandhan to power and the mandate was against the BJP. But Nitish betrayed voters which has made me very sad,” Yadav said. On the other hand, JD(U) spokesmen took a dig at him. Party spokesman Ajay Alok said, “How can Tejashwi, Tej Pratap and Lalu become ideal for him? He is playing a very dangerous game. Party has nothing to do with his tour but his outbursts are against the party line.” Another spokesman Neeraj Kumar warned Sharad and said, “Party is always stronger than a leader. He will soon realise that. " The national executive meeting of the JD(U) is scheduled on 19 August and a decision might be taken on Yadav before that. The party had extended an invitation to him also when it seemed that he had reconciled with Nitish. But Yadav himself is in two minds and has said that he will take a decision about participating in the party’s meeting on the basis of responses he would receive during his tour.