Sharad Yadav, Babulal Marandi meet Lalu in Ranchi jail

Former JD (U) Rajya Sabha member Sharad Yadav met RJD chief Lalu Prasad at the Birsa Munda Jail in Ranchi on Monday.

Former Jharkhand chief minister Babulal Marandi and his party legislator Pradeep Yadav also accompanied the rebel JD(U) leader when he went to meet the incarcerated Lalu.

The RJD president, who is serving a jail sentence after being convicted in the fodder scam, is allowed to meet only three people in a week.

Last week, former Bihar Assembly Speaker Uday Narayan Choudhary and Jitan Ram Manjhi's outfit Hindustan Awam Morcha (HAM) Bihar chief Brishen Patel had met the RJD chief in the Ranchi jail.

Sharad and Marandi's meeting with Lalu has fuelled speculations in both the states.

The meet assumes significance as despite being in jail, Lalu is making concerted efforts to unite all those who are inimical to the BJP and its allies.

"It was a courtesy call by Sharad ji. But when two leaders meet, politics also comes up for discussion," said Lalu outside the Ranchi court on Monday.

Sharad, who last year revolted against his party president Nitish Kumar, was recently unseated as JD(U) Rajya Sabha member.

Though there was no official confirmation as to what exactly transpired between Lalu and Sharad, JD(U) sources said it could be related to the upcoming Rajya Sabha polls in April this year.

"This meeting could be an effort by Sharad to assess his position in the ensuing biennial poll in Bihar. It's a matter of shame that Sharad, who once quit as MP on the issue of corruption, has today surrendered before a tainted person like Lalu," said JD(U) spokesperson Neeraj Kumar.