Patna, March 25 (IANS) A major political controversy has erupted within the Janata Dal (United) in Bihar as its Lok Sabha MP from Banka, Giridhari Yadav, faces the threat of disqualification over alleged anti-party activities.

The issue escalated after Dileshwar Kamait, the party’s leader in the Lok Sabha, formally wrote to the Speaker seeking action against Yadav. The complaint accuses him of violating party discipline, particularly during the Assembly elections when his son, Chanakya Prakash Ranjan, contested on a ticket from the Rashtriya Janata Dal, and Yadav allegedly campaigned in his favour.

Backing the move, Sanjay Kumar Jha, JD(U)’s National Working President and Rajya Sabha MP, confirmed that a petition has been filed and questioned Yadav’s conduct. “Our party’s Lok Sabha leader, Dileshwar Kamait, has filed a petition with the Speaker. During the recent Vidhan Sabha elections, his son contested from the RJD in the same parliamentary constituency from which he is an MP, and he actively campaigned. This raises serious questions about adherence to party discipline. After that, what remains?” Jha said.

The controversy deepened further when Yadav publicly deviated from the party’s official stance on a key issue like SIR, reportedly terming a decision a “Tughlaqi decree”, a remark seen by the leadership as a serious breach of discipline.

Political observers note that although Yadav has long been considered close to Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, tensions with the party leadership have been growing since the Assembly elections. His absence from a key event in Banka during Nitish Kumar’s ‘Samriddhi Yatra’ on March 17 further fuelled speculation about internal rifts.

Earlier, the party had issued him a show-cause notice seeking an explanation within 15 days. While Yadav claimed he had not received an invitation to the Banka event, the matter has now escalated, putting his Lok Sabha membership from Banka constituency under direct threat.

The development signals a firm stance by the JD(U) leadership to enforce party discipline, even against senior leaders, adding fresh intensity to Bihar’s evolving political landscape.

Reacting to the controversy, Union Minister Rajiv Ranjan Singh clarified that the move to seek action was not a collective decision of the party leadership. He said it was Kamait who independently submitted the application to the Speaker, adding that the party president will examine the matter and take a final decision after due deliberation.

–IANS

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