Disgruntled Janata Dal - United leader M. P. Veerendra Kumar on Wednesday resigned from the Rajya Sabha, days after rebel JD - U leaders Sharad Yadav and Ali Anwar were disqualified from the Upper House.
The 80 - year - old, also a Karala media baron, submitted his resignation to Rajya Sabha Chairman M. Venkaiah Naidu on Wednesday morning, Arun Kumar Shrivastava, also a rebel JD - U leader, told IANS.
Shrivastava said Veerendra Kumar, who was elected to the Upper House from Kerala last year with support from the Congress - led UDF, resigned "so that no one questions his integrity that he is aligning with (Bihar Chief Minister and JD - U President) Nitish Kumar".
Veerendra Kumar was the chairman of the JD - U's Kerala unit.
Nitish Kumar's decision to break away from the Grand Alliance with the Rashtriya Janata Dal and the Congress in Bihar and align with the BJP - led NDA in July this year triggered rebellion in the party.
JD - U's founder leader Sharad Yadav led the rebel faction to protest Nitish Kumar's decision.
He was disqualified from the Rajya Sabha along with Ali Anwar on December 4 "on ground of defection rules".