Miffed RLD chief Ajit Singh walks away from grand alliance in UP

LUCKNOW: Snubbed by the Janata Dal (United) for seeking a Rajya Sabha berth, Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) chief Ajit Singh on Monday sent attempts to create a Bihar-type grand alliance in UP into a tailspin by directing his son Jayant Chaudhary to hold a rally in Gorakhpur to coincide with Bihar CM Nitish Kumar's show in Varanasi on May 12.

The JD(U) reacted sharply to Ajit's move with its general secretary K C Tyagi saying the Jat leader isn't invited for Nitish's rally. "There's no point to inviting RLD to Varanasi. It will be our show," Tyagi told TOI. The rally is scheduled in Pindri assembly segment in Varanasi, the Lok Sabha constituency of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Tyagi refused to comment on the growing bitterness between JD(U) and RLD, but sources said JD(U) brass is particularly miffed with Ajit's move to open channels with the BJP for an entry into the Rajya Sabha. Another senior JD(U) official said a merger of JD(U) and RLD would only strengthen Ajit.