Mulayam holds Nitish responsible for split in grand alliance

Samajwadi Party (SP) supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav on Sunday blamed Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar for his party's exit from the grand alliance in Bihar.

"When we decided to contest the Bihar polls together, in the beginning Nitish Kumar supported the coalition but when the coalition announcement was to be made, Nitish silently met Rahul and Sonia Gandhi," Mulayam said while addressing a rally here.

"We were waiting for him and Lalu said that he (Nitish) must be meeting Congress leaders. When I called him I was told that he is in Delhi and when I met Nitish, he responded, saying he needs to leave for Patna due to an urgent work," he added.

"Are they politicians? Is it correct to lie? Is betraying a sign of noble politics?" asked Yadav.

Mulayam also attempted to create a divide between Nitish and RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav.

"Injustice was done to Lalu Prasad Yadav, he was sentenced a jail for five years. But who was responsible for this punishment. It was this Chief Minister (Nitish Kumar)," he added.

The Samajwadi Party had last month pulled out of the grand alliance, saying it felt humiliated as it was not consulted while deciding seats and would contest the assembly elections in Bihar on its own.