Sharad Yadav expelled as pioneer of JD(U) in Rajya Sabha

New Delhi, Aug 12 Janata Dal(U) Rajya Sabha members today expelled Sharad Yadav, who restricted the party's choice to align with the BJP in Bihar, as their pioneer in the House and supplanted him with R C P Singh, a senior party pioneer said.

The MPs met Rajya Sabha Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu to give him a letter delegating Singh as the pioneer of the JD(U) in the upper house, the pioneer said.

Singh is a trusted lieutenant of Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar.

The JD(U) has 10 members in the Rajya Sabha. It had last night suspended its Rajya Sabha member Ali Anwar Ansari from the parliamentary party for going to a meeting of restriction parties gathered by Congress president Sonia Gandhi.

Differences amongst Kumar and Yadav surfaced after the former snapped ties with the Congress and the RJD, and aligned with the BJP to frame another government in Bihar a month ago.

Yadav, who is on a tour of Bihar, has said regardless he trusts he is a piece of the Grand Alliance with the RJD and the Congress. The JD(U) is Nitish Kumar's party, as well as his party, he has said.

Yadav likewise asserted that the genuine JD(U) was with him and the one with Kumar was "sarkari" JD(U).

In a related improvement, BJP president Amit Shah said in a tweet today that he had welcomed Kumar to join the ruling NDA.