Sharad Yadav should not be in company of evil forces: JD(U)

The JD(U) today asked its rebel leader Sharad Yadav to shun the company of "evil forces" as it took a swipe at Lalu Prasad-led RJD, which will attend a meeting of the opposition hosted by Yadav tomorrow.

JD(U) spokesperson K C Tyagi, at the same time, downplayed Yadav's move to invite the opposition leaders, saying nobody will have any objection over a meeting on "saving composite culture", the stated objective of the event.

Top leaders of the Congress, the Left, Samajwadi Party, BSP, TMC and other parties opposed to the BJP have been invited to tomorrow's meet, seen as Yadav's show of strength against the JD(U) chief and Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, with whom he fell out over Kumar's decision to rejoin hands with the BJP.

Tyagi, however, suggested that the veteran socialist will cross the red line of the party's discipline if he takes part in the RJD's August 27 rally in Patna as he called the Prasad-led party "corrupt" and "evil forces".

"For god's sake, he should not go to that rally. We have no problem with the questions he is raising but we will take exception to him sharing stage with tainted people. If he does not attend Lalu's rally, then we will respect him more. He should not be seen with evil forces," he told a press conference.

Tyagi said Yadav should attend the JD(U)'s national executive meeting in Patna on August 19 to raise his issues.

Yadav has come out against Kumar's decision to break ties with the RJD and join hands with the BJP.

Tyagi asked Yadav to reconsider his association with the RJD, saying he was among the few leaders to have resigned as a member of Parliament three times on moral grounds.