NEW DELHI: JD-U rebel Sharad Yadav, who was disqualified from the Rajya Sabha on Monday, is planning to challenge his expulsion in a court of law and take the issue to the people.
“We are seeking legal opinion on challenging the expulsion legally. Irrespective of what happens in the court, we will take the issue to masses,” senior party leader Javed Raza told The New Indian Express.
The reaction from the Sharad camp came after he along with party member Ali Anwar were disqualified from the upper house of parliament by chairman M Venkaiah Naidu.
The decision was the culmination of a plea submitted to Naidu by JD-U chief Nitish Kumar urging action against Yadav and Anwar saying they had defied party line.
The dispute arose after Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar decided to quit the JD-U-RJD-Congress alliance in July and joined hands with the BJP. Since then Yadav has been at logger heads with Nitish Kumar as he joined the opposition camp during the presidential polls.
Later, the dispute between the two JD-U camps over party’s poll symbol Arrow reached the Election Commission which recently ruled in favour of Nitish Kumar. Before that, the Sharad camp had convened a party executive meeting where Gujarat leader Chhotubhai Vasava was elected as the new president.
Yadav alleged political vendetta by the ruling BJP behind his disqualification from the Rajya Sabha.
“If I am disqualified from Rajya Sabha because I respect democratic values, follow d party constitution & respect d mandate given by 11 crore people of Bihar for Mahagathbandan then I will continue to do so not only for d people of Bihar but d country as a whole,” Yadav tweeted.
“I am disqualified from Rajya Sabha as Mahagathbandan which was formed to defeat NDA in Bihar & after 18 months to break it & joining NDA to remain in power & if to speak against this undemocratic style is my fault I will continue to fight to save democracy,” he said.
Yadav’s supporters claimed the EC order on party’s poll symbol Arrow was related to the Gujarat assembly polls and the same has been challenged in the high court.
Though Yadav plans to mobilise public support over the issue, his own limited mass base and lack of resources may come as a big challenge to the veteran.