Unhappy' Sharad Yadav in two minds?
Nitish likely to visit New Delhi next week. Panic stricken Congress tries to keep him on its side.
New Delhi: Opposition leaders, who are in touch with dissident JD(U) leader Sharad Yadav, on Saturday claimed that he was “in two minds” as far as his Opposition to Nitish Kumar’s decision of joining the NDA was concerned and did not rule out the possibility of him jumping onto the BJP bandwagon at the last minute. Meanwhile, JD(U) sources said that Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar was likely to visit the capital next week.
This would be Kumar first visit to the national capital after assuming office in alliance with the NDA.
Though it was not clear, sources close to Yadav claimed that he has not spoken with the Bihar chief minister since the day of his resignation. Now, it would be interesting to see whether the two JD(U) leaders meet.
Yadav, interestingly, has been in touch with both Opposition and ruling party leaders since fresh political developments in Bihar. While he met Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi and spoke on phone with Union finance minister Arun Jaitely on Thursday, he also met CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury and Congress Leader of the House in Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad on Friday.
“He (Sharad Yadav) has always worked to strengthen secular powers and I have full hope he will continue to do so,” Azad said on Saturday.
Sources in the Opposition camp said that Yadav has been offered a Cabinet berth, but fear of losing Yadav votebank is holding him back.
The Congress on its part is desperately trying to keep Yadav on their side, considering the Rajya Sabha arithmetic where the JD(U) has nine MLAs.
The Congress-led Opposition has suffered a huge setback in the Upper House with the resignation of BSP chief Mayawati and the refusal of CPI(M) for renomination of its general secretary Sitaram Yechury with Congress support from West Bengal. Also, party president Sonia Gandhi’s political secretary Ahmed Patel’s re-election has run into trouble with large-scale defections in Gujarat Congress.
Yadav’s breaking away from the JD(U) along with some Rajya Sabha MPs seems to be the only hope the Opposition is hanging on to it seems.