Sharad Yadav wants lawyer to argue before Venkaiah Naidu

Dissident JDU leader Sharad Yadav, who will appear before Rajya Sabha chairman Venkaiah Naidu on Wednesday, to respond to the notice on Nitish Kumar camp’s petition seeking his disqualification from the House, has urged the Chairman to allow his lawyer to appear and argue the case on his behalf.

Sources said Yadav handed over a letter to Naidu, stating that “since the Chairman is acting in the capacity of a Tribunal... and as the matter involves complicated issues of constitutional law requiring interpretation of provisions of the Tenth Schedule”, permission be granted for a lawyer to appear on behalf of Yadav.

Kapil Sibal has been acting as Yadav’s lawyer in a related matter before the Election Commission (EC). Yadav also handed over to Naidu a copy of the affidavit his group has already filed before EC, seeking claim for JDU symbol, claiming themselves as the genuine party and branding the Nitish camp as defectors.