File photo of Mulayam Singh Yadav.
Despite talks of reconciliation, it seems Mulayam Singh Yadav's role in the anti-BJP alliance in Bihar has no chance of being rewired. On Tuesday, the Samajwadi Party chief launched an all-out attack on Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar.
"Who is secular? People who ran government with the BJP's support for 12 years? They are secular all of a sudden?" was Mr Yadav's jibe.
Mr Kumar's party, the Janata Dal (United), has reacted cautiously to Mr Yadav's statement. A senior party leader said, "Mulayam Singh Yadav is still our senior leader, so I won't comment on his statement. Mr Kumar is standing strong against BJP and his credibility cannot be doubted ".
Earlier this year, Mr Kumar, Mulayam Singh Yadav, Lalu Prasad and others had held hands in a show of unity as they launched a new front against the BJP in New Delhi, promising coordination and cooperation during elections.
But over the last few days, this much hyped alliance has more or less been abandoned by the Samajwadi Party, which had been miffed about being offered just 5 out of the state's 243 seats in the coming assembly elections.
Despite the efforts of former allies Lalu Prasad and Nitish Kumar to change his mind, the Samajwadi Party has declared it would contest all 243 assembly seats in the coming elections.
In the 2010 polls, the SP had contested 146 seats in Bihar and failed to win any. But its presence in what was called the "grand alliance" marked a coming together of the anti-BJP front, where the JD, the JD(U) and the Congress were seen as the key players.
Now, the SP is likely to play spoiler for the anti-BJP combine by splitting the Muslim and the Yadav vote.