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Nitish’s call to Sharad sets off talks of his return to JD(U)
PATNA
A telephonic call by Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar to the family of former JD(U) president Sharad Yadav to enquire about his health has set off speculation about the latter’s possible return to the party he once led.
Yadav, who had been undergoing treatment at AIIMS in Delhi, was discharged from the hospital on Sunday.
“Yes, Nitish Kumar called Sharad Yadav, but it was just a courtesy call to enquire about his health,” said Arun Srivastava, general secretary of the Loktantrik Janata Dal (LJD), the party Yadav founded after parting ways with the JD(U) after it returned to the NDA fold.
Dropping clear hints, Srivastava said, “Anything is possible in politics. Nitishji has been our leader and we have worked together.”
Yadav formed LJD after he was expelled from JD (U) for anti-party activities in August 2017. He contested the 2019 Lok Sabha elections from Madhepura as a Grand Alliance candidate but lost the elections.
During the course of his illness, several JD(U) leaders contacted him and enquired about his health.
“If he joins us, it will definitely be a good move,” said JD(U) spokesperson Rajeev Ranjan.
“He is a tall leader. It will strengthen the NDA,” said BJP MP Ram Kripal Yadav.
The main opposition party in Bihar, the RJD, which leads the Grand Alliance, reacted on expected lines. “JD(U) has become desperate. They are moving from the doors of one leader to another and extending them invites to join their party,” said RJD spokesperson Mritunjay Tiwary.
JD (U) had removed Yadav as the party’s leader in the Rajya Sabha in 2017 after he publicly disapproved of Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar’s decision to rejoin the NDA.