Yadav faction of JD(U) calls party nat'l council meet on Oct 8

Rebel JD(U) leader Sharad Yadav has called his party's national council meet in the national capital on October 8, escalating his fight against party president and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar.

Yadav's announcement came a day after the Election Commission refused to take cognisance of his faction's claim over the party's symbol, citing lack of documents to support its stand.

At a press conference, the former JD(U) president put up a brave face, saying one does get hurt in a fight against the mighty.

He said that he would continue to fight for "truth and democracy" and insisted that he would prove in due course of time that the "real" JD(U) was with him and he would strengthen the party more.
 

"My colleagues have called a national council meeting on October 8. I will also participate," he said.

Though an overwhelming number of popularly elected members of the party and its office-bearers have backed Kumar, Yadav's move is seen as an attempt by him to launch his next political journey with a bang.

His party has also urged Rajya Sabha Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu to disqualify him and another rebel MP Ali Anwar from the Rajya Sabha for their "anti-party" activities, and he had been asked yesterday to file his response within a week.

He will file reply to the Rajya Sabha notice after consultation with lawyers, Yadav told reporters.

He also parried queries on his next step following the EC's move, saying his lawyers were looking into the matter and would file an appropriate response.

"I am fighting against a mountain, a wall. I am well aware that I will get hurt," he said.

The Yadav faction had approached the EC on August 25, staking claim over the party's election symbol and insisting that a majority of its national council members were with it.

The EC had yesterday refused to take cognisance of it.

Hitting out at Kumar, Yadav said it was unprecedented that a party joins hands with another it had fought against within 18 months of the election.

"It was a mockery of democracy that you won on the manifesto of maha-gathbandhan (grand alliance) and joined hands with the group (BJP) against whom you fought," he said.