JD(U) national president Sharad Yadav (right) with Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar in Patna on Tuesday. Telegraph picture

Patna, Sept. 20: A day after slamming Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi’s Sadbhavna fast that concluded yesterday, the Janata Dal (United) today appeared favourably disposed towards BJP leader L.K. Advani’s proposed rath yatra across the country over the issue of corruption.

“We will think over attending Advani’s yatra against corruption if we are invited. The party (JD-U) will consider the proposal if it comes,” said JD(U)’s national president Sharad Yadav, who arrived here today.

Sharad’s remark made it clear that the JD(U), particularly, chief minister Nitish Kumar who “loves to hate” Narendra Modi, has no objections to Advani’s campaign. Nitish, too, on the sidelines of his janata darbar last week, had said: “It is good that he (Advani) is launching the yatra against corruption that is the biggest issue in the country today.”

Sources in the party said that by extending its support to Advani’s rath yatra, the JD(U), which is the biggest NDA partner at the national level, has been spoil the Gujarat chief minister’s prime ministerial ambitions.

“The JD(U) wants to send a clear message to the BJP that the party finds Advani more acceptable NDA leader than others, particularly Narendra Modi,” a top source said.

Given the background of over 15-year-old tie-up between the JD(U) and the BJP in Bihar, Nitish seldom had troubles with Advani.

In fact, the alliance was struck in 1996 when Advani was the all-powerful leader of his party.

The Gujarat riots which catapulted Modi as the “militant Hindutva’s poster boy” had not yet taken place.

Arun Jaitley and Sushma Swaraj, who too are believed to be harbouring prime ministerial ambitions, were yet to grow tall.

In fact, Nitish, despite getting closer to former Prime Minister A.B. Vajpayee while serving as the latter’s ministerial colleague at the Centre, maintained a cordial relationship with Advani. The chief minister readily accepted Advani as the NDA’s prime ministerial candidate in the 2009 Lok Sabha polls and even campaigned in his favour.

And Advani, too, had gone out of way to project Nitish Kumar as the NDA’s chief ministerial candidate ahead of 2005 Assembly elections when the then JD(U) boss and NDA convenor, George Fernandes, had fallen out with Nitish and was reluctant to declare the latter as the candidate for Bihar’s top job.

A section in the BJP feels that the Nitish-led JD(U), which was “so important for the NDA to come to power at the Centre”, also wants to give a message that Advani was still “more acceptable” than several others, apparently, eyeing the prime minister’s post after the 2014 Lok Sabha polls.

The chief minister, too, for the first time during his second tenure, has decided to embark on a seva yatra (service journey) after the end of Chhath puja in October. Nitish had undertaken many yatras, including Vikas Yatra and Viswash Yatra, during his previous tenure.

Sharad, who landed here today for a week-long tour of the state, handed over a cheque of Rs 105000 — his income of a month — to the chief minister to support the latter’s venture for “green Bihar”. Nitish has called upon all the legislators and MPs of his party to donate their one month’s salary towards the cause of green Bihar.

“I wish for the success of the party’s campaign for saving the environment in the state,” Sharad said, praising party workers for carrying out the campaign.