Disgruntled Rashtriya Janata Dal leader Ashfaq Karim on Saturday joined the Janata Dal-United headed by Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, alleging "discrimination against Muslims" in the party headed by the latter's arch-rival Lalu Prasad.
Karim, who was denied a second term in Rajya Sabha in March this year, and whose hopes of a Lok Sabha ticket from Katihar came a cropper, was inducted into the JD-U in the presence of national general secretary Sanjay Kumar Jha, state president Umesh Kushwaha and senior minister Vijay Kumar Chaudhary.
Talking to reporters on the occasion, Karim, who quit the RJD late Friday, rued that "only two" Muslims figured in the list of 22 candidates made public by the RJD earlier this week.
"So much for the RJD's promise of proportionate representation to all sections of the society when the caste survey findings came out", said Karim, who runs a private university in Katihar and has been, in the past, associated with many parties, including late Ram Vilas Paswan's Lok Janshakti Party.
Karim was understood to have been assured an RJD ticket by Lalu Prasad from Katihar but the seat went to ally Congress which has fielded former Union minister Tariq Anwar. -- PTI