NITISH SACKS SHARAD YADAV AS RS LEADER FOR DEFIANCE

The Janata Dal (United) on Saturday sacked senior lawmaker Sharad Yadav as the party’s leader in the Rajya Sabha, seen as a punishment for his public disapproval of Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar’s decision to re-join the BJP-led alliance.

Hitting back, Yadav said on Saturday that party was not Kumar’s alone but belonged to him too. “JD-U sirf Nitish Kumar ki hi party nahi hai, yeh meri bhi party hai,” Yadav said in Bihar’s Madhepura district on the last day of his three-day Samvad Yatra to meet people and interact with them.

Yadav, who is Rajya Sabha MP, said when he had “not been afraid of Indira Gandhi, what do others matter”.

Yadav’s removal came a day after the JD(U) sacked another Rajya Sabha member, Ali Anwar, from its parliamentary party after he attended a meeting called by the Congress to discuss an anti-BJP front.

Last month, Kumar called off his alliance with Lalu Yadav’s RJD and the Congress to realign with the BJP. He was sworn in as the chief minister of an NDA government.

JD(U) sources said the decision to sack Yadav was conveyed to vice president Venkiah Naidu, who is also the chairperson of the Upper House. A delegation of party’s Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha members submitted a letter Naidu.The party has seven members in the Rajya Sabha and

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