Senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad and CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury today met JD(U) veteran Sharad Yadav, amid indications that he may come out openly against Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's decision to ally with the BJP.
Azad and Yechury drove to Yadav's residence for talks on a day Kumar, who is also the JD(U) chief, proved his majority in the Bihar Assembly, a day after he was sworn in.
What transpired during their meeting was not immediately clear but sources said the former JD(U) president is "deeply unhappy" with Kumar's return to the NDA fold. He was also said to be upset over not being taken into confidence by Kumar before he decided to align with the BJP.
A JD(U) source said the swiftness with which Kumar sealed the tie-up with the BJP within hours of walking out of the 'mahagathbandhan' (grand alliance) of the RJD, JD(U) and the Congress on Wednesday evening, showed that it was a "pre-decided deal".
"Sharad Yadav had been working to forge a grand alliance of opposition parties at the national level. He feels totally let down by Kumar's move," a leader close to him said.
Two Rajya Sabha members, Ali Anwar and M P Veerendra Kumar, have gone on record against Kumar's decision. Yadav is the party's leader in the RS where it has 10 MPs.
However, if Yadav does move against Kumar, the road ahead for him remains unclear. Sources said he does not have enough support to split the party and the vote in the Bihar assembly today has shown that its MLAs are firmly behind Kumar.
Several groups of university students also met Yadav at his residence, urging him to not join the NDA and be part of a "secular" grouping.
Senior BJP leader and Finance Minister Arun Jaitley has also spoken to Yadav in a bid to persuade him to continue to be a part of the NDA. Kumar too had spoken to him yesterday.
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