Veteran Janata Dal-United leader Sharad Yadav, who is "pained" by Nitish Kumar's decision to ally with the Bharatiya Janata Party, will tour Bihar for three days next week to seek a "way out of darnkess".
"This has been my principle that I go to people in search of light whenever I find darkness around," the former JD-U president, who has openly voiced his displeasure over the Bihar chief minister's decision, said.
The confidence of 11 crore people of Bihar has been "broken" due to Nitish Kumar's action, he said.
"Eleven crore people (of Bihar) had trusted us, reposed their confidence and faith. That has been broken. I am pained with this," the 70-year-old Rajya Sabha member said.
Yadav said he would take a decision about his political future after a meeting of intellectuals and leaders of opposition parties he has called to discuss India's "composite heritage" on August 17 in the national capital.
The veteran parliamentarian did not attack Kumar directly and refrained from spelling out clearly his next political step but gave indication that he will not follow Kumar into the National Democratic Alliance camp.
"We have to work together to save India's composite culture. If there is no sense of cooperation among people of different castes, communities and religions, then we cannot remain together. People have to understand this," he said.
Yadav has in the past accused the BJP government of engaging in "communal politics" and called upon opposition parties to come together to form a secular alliance against it.
Sources close to him said he will disclose his next political move from the platform for sajhi virasat (composite heritage), the August 17 conclave that he has called.
During his Bihar sojourn, he will extensively visit the Kosi-Mithilanchal region. Yadav represented Madhepura Lok Sabha seat several times but lost in the 2014 election when a Narendra Modi wave swept the state.
Photograph: Shahbaz Khan/PTI Photo
