The war of attrition between senior Rajya Sabha MP Sharad Yadav and JD(U) chief Nitish Kumar over alliance with BJP is nearing a climax.
While Yadav is all set to attend RJD rally in Patna on Sunday, the JD(U) is preparing a life without the rebel leader, as it is setting the stage for disciplinary action against him.
On his part, Yadav has sent his supporters to Election Commission on Friday claiming that they represented the "real" JD(U) while JD(U) General Secretary K C Tyagi shot off a letter to the former, saying his presence at RJD rally would mean that he has voluntarily given up party membership.
Yadav has been leading a rebellion against Kumar for his decision to break the Grand Alliance in Bihar and then joining hands with BJP to form a government in the state. He did not attend the National Council meeting on August 19 in Patna called to clear the decision on joining NDA but organised a parallel convention.
Arun Shrivastav, a close aide of Yadav and former general secretary who was removed from the position recently, said their faction had told the EC that a majority of party workers and national council members were with them. "We are the founder members of the party. How can Nitish Kumar remove us?" he asked.
However, citing media reports about Yadav's plans to attend Lalu Prasad-led rally, Tyagi wrote to Yadav asking him to skip the function. Tyagi said if Yadav attended it, he would be working "against the party's principles". JD(U) had formed an alliance with RJD and Congress in the 2015 Assembly elections to defeat BJP.
In his letter, Tyagi has also mentioned about Yadav not taking part in the recent national executive.
Sources said Yadav's participation in RJD rally would provide them with the best opportunity to take action against him.
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