Alliance swapping very unfortunate, people's mandate was not for this : Sharad Yadav breaks silence

"Whatever happened is very unfortunate. The mandate of people was not for this," he told reporters.

In a stunning overnight move that caught one napping, Nitish Kumar last week ended his two-year mahagatbandhan or grand alliance with Lalu Yadav and the Congress, swapping it for a renewed  partnership with the BJP, four years after he broke away from the NDA.

The Chief Minister, who had been putting pressure on the RJD for resignation of  his deputy and RJD chief Lalu Prasad's son Tejashwi Yadav, resigned on Wednesday, pulling out of the grand alliance and was sworn-in again as Chief Minister the next day joining hands with the BJP.

He said he felt "suffocated" as  Tejashwi refused  to resign despite corruption charges by the CBI.

Sharad Yadav, who maintained an eloquent silence over the development, reportedly contacted few party leaders, who had criticised the alliance swap and made occasional tweets critical of the BJP-led central government.

Yadav is one of the topmost leaders of the JDU. Only a year ago he was replaced by Nitish Kumar as the party president.

Lalu Yadav claimed Sharad Yadav had called him and sided with him. "He has been in touch and he told us he is with us," Lalu Yadav told NDTV.

On Saturday, Lalu Yadav asked Sharad Yadav to lead an anti-BJP front.  "I appeal to Sharad Yadav-ji who has been our leader... whom we consider our leader, to come forward and fight the BJP. Take the lead role in this," he said.