Ghulam Nabi Azad lobs Sonia praise for Sharad Yadav

NEW DELHI: The Congress high command has artfully advertised its “respect and appreciation” for JD(U) parliamentary party leader Sharad Yadav’s contributions in building the largest Opposition unity against the Modi government post-currency replacement, at a meeting of various Opposition leaders. Many present in the meeting read in the Congress move an indirect rebuff to JD(U) president Nitish Kumar who has distanced himself from the united Opposition’s protests.

According to a source, when various Opposition party leaders met for firming up the House strategy at Rajya Sabha Opposition leader Ghulam Nabi Azad’s room, he made it a point to demonstrate how much the top Congress leadership valued “the very experienced” Yadav’s role.

While discussing their plans, Azad said in front of everyone, including Yadav, that Congress chief Sonia Gandhi had “specially” told him that party floor leaders should give utmost importance to “the inputs and suggestions from Sharadji” towards firming up Opposition’s coordination.

“The way Azad spoke at the meeting, on what Sonia Gandhi told him about Sharad Yadav, it appeared to me that the message was clearly meant for Sharad Yadav as much as it was for Nitish Kumar,” said a Lok Sabha MP who attended the meeting where leaders including BSP’s Satish Mishra, RJD’s Jaya Prakash Narayan Yadav, representatives of Trinamool Congress, CPM, CPI and NCP were present.

It is not a secret that the Congress leadership is unhappy over CM Nitish Kumar, heading Bihar’s JD(U)-RJD-Congress coalition government, distancing himself from the Opposition protests and praising the Modi government’s currency replacement step.

After the meeting, Opposition leaders resumed their protests in both Houses, with Yadav on the frontlines in the Upper House. He had a verbal sparring with FM Arun Jaitley after Jaitley told him that he should first discuss the note recall within the party and find “if it is agreeable.”

Yadav retorted: “Is your PM with you? Is he listening to you?” The meeting also saw some leaders, especially Trinamool nominee pressing for an Opposition delegation to call on the President to protest the manner in which the Income Tax (Amend) Bill was passed and postcurrency replacement developments. Azad has already sought an appointment with the President.