JD(U) MLA Sanjeev Kumar joins RJD ahead of Bihar polls

Khagaria, Oct 03 (PTI) In a setback to Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's JD(U) ahead of the assembly polls in Bihar, MLA Sanjeev Kumar joined the opposition RJD on Friday.

Kumar, who ended his two-decade-old association with the ruling party, joined the RJD at a rally in Khagaria district, where the Parbatta assembly segment he represents is located.

RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav addressed the rally through video conference as he could not attend it in person because of the bad weather.

Kumar, who had faced accusations of trying to split the JD(U) last year when the chief minister returned to the NDA, said, "Only Tejashwi Yadav can provide strong leadership to Bihar. All recent decisions of the government, be it 125 units of free electricity or a hike in social security pensions, had followed promises by Tejashwi Yadav." Training his guns at the JD(U) supremo, he said, "Nitish Kumar may be a nice person, but he is surrounded by thugs. His proclaimed zero tolerance on crime, corruption and communalism is nowhere to be seen. I had joined the party way back in 2004 along with my father. But of late, I have been feeling suffocated." Kumar's late father, Ramanand Prasad Singh, had represented the Parbatta seat twice as a JD(U) MLA.

The induction of Kumar, who belongs to the powerful upper caste Bhumihar, is being seen as yet another attempt by Yadav to send a message that his RJD represents 'A to Z' (all sections of the society) and not just 'MY' (Muslims and Yadavs). PTI CORR NAC SOM