News Analysis India

Tag: Rashtriya Janata Dal

  • New political chemistry in Bihar? Chirag to invite Tejashwi for Paswan’s death anniversary event

    By ANI

    PATNA: Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) MP Chirag Paswan is scheduled to meet Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tejashwi Yadav on Wednesday to invite him for an event on September 12 to mark the first death anniversary of his father and former Union Minister Ram Vilas Paswan, said sources.

    “Chirag Paswan and Tejaswi Yadav are meeting for the first time after the Bihar election on Wednesday. Chirag is going to invite Tejashwi for his father’s first death anniversary programme,” said sources.

    Sources said the death anniversary event would be significant in the political context as it comes at a time when Chirag Paswan is in the middle of a bitter dispute with his uncle Pashupati Kumar Paras over the claim of his father’s legacy.

    The LJP was formed by former Union Minister Ram Vilas Paswan in 2000. Paswan, a heavyweight leader in Bihar politics, passed away in October 2020.

    Union Minister Pashupati Kumar Paras, the younger brother of LJP founder Ram Vilas Paswan along with five other MPs, had met Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla and handed over a letter to him seeking removal of Chirag Paswan as party chief. Birla had accepted Paras as the floor leader of the LJP in the Lower House. In a revised list of floor leaders of parties, Paras was listed as the Lok Sabha LJP leader.

    After being sidelined by the NDA, and his uncle Pashupati Paras who was sworn in as Union Minister, Chirag decided to go ahead with Aashirvaad Yatra in Bihar with a motive to secure his political future.

    Amid the power tussle in the LJP, RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav in August said he wants Chirag Paswan and Tejashwi Yadav to come together to form an alliance.

    Prior to that, Tejashwi Yadav had also called Chirag for joining hands with the Opposition. Chirag Paswan has also called Tejashwi Yadav his “younger brother” on several occasions.

  • RJD leader meets Chirag Paswan, urges him to be part of anti-BJP alliance

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: Rashtriya Janata Dal leader Shyam Rajak has met Lok Janshakti Party’s Chirag Paswan and later called for him to be part of a united opposition alliance against the BJP-led NDA in Bihar as the Dalit leader looks for his political options after being snubbed by the saffron party.

    Paswan has also spoken to RJD supremo Lalu Prasad, Rajak told PTI, adding that he should join forces with another young leader Tejashwi Yadav to take on the NDA.

    RJD’s Yadav is the leader of the opposition in the Bihar assembly and had led a spirited fight against the ruling BJP-JD(U) alliance in the last year’s state polls but had fallen just short of victory.

    Rajak, once a close aide of JD(U) leader and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, and now in the RJD, said his visit to Paswan’s house was “personal” in nature but added that political talks take place when politicians meet.

    There is a need for building a united anti-BJP alliance over the issues of the interests of Dalit and backward castes, the RJD leader said.

    He said Chirag Paswan is the natural heir to his father Ram Vilas Paswan’s legacy.

    With Prime Minister Narendra Modi inducting Paswan’s uncle Pashupati Kumar Paras, who has joined hands with four other MPs of his party against the son of the late Dalit stalwart, as Cabinet minister in his government, political options for the young LJP leader seem limited.

    RJD leaders have been speaking in support of Chirag Paswan and urging him to join hands with the opposition alliance in Bihar.

    Though he has no MLAs with him, Paswan’s decision to formally break ties with the BJP and join the rival camp will be a psychological boost to it.

    Paswan has, however, made it clear that his current priority is to strengthen his party, and he has launched “aashirvaad yatra” in the state for the purpose.

    With Bihar having no major electoral battle for quite some time, there is no immediate reason for him to decide on his next course of action.

    In his remarks, the Jamui MP has often expressed his anguish at the BJP for not coming to his help during the crisis in his party but has still refrained from attacking its leadership.

    The LJP has six Lok Sabha MPs and five of them have elected Paras as their leader in the House.

  • Lalu is back: After over three years, RJD patriarch makes return to active politics

    Express News Service
    PATNA:  After a gap of more than three years, the Rashtriya Janata Dal supremo Lalu Prasad Yadav, who has been serving a jail term, made his partial return to politics on Sunday.

    Lalu held a virtual meet with the party’s senior leaders and lawmakers. He called on the leaders to serve the people who are suffering amid a rise in Covid cases.  

    In March 2018, he was sentenced to 14 years in jail in connection with fodder scam. Last month, a court had granted him bail.

    The RJD leader is presently staying at his elder daughter’s house in Delhi. Lalu was unwell and could not speak for long. His blood oxygen level was a bit below the normal.

    He did not make any political statements, but called upon party workers and leasders to render their services to the people in these tough times.

    “Lakhs of people have died due to Covid-19. There is a lot of destructions and commotion all around. At such a time, it is your duty to go to your area and serve your people,” Lalu told his party leaders.

    Though, it was anticipated that he will share some political strategies to deal with the NDA regime in the state, he remained guarded.

    “It shows how genuinely he is concerned with the people of party above politics,” remarked a senior RJD leader, adding that being with the people in times of crisis has always been an integral and important part of Lalu Prasad’s politics.

    “Gradually, he will return to the Bihar politics in full form to take on the failed NDA regime”, said a senior leader, preferring anonymity. 

    In his typical tone and tenor, Lalu assured the party leaders and functionaries that he will soon be among them once he fully recovers.

    Later, RJD state president Jagdanand Singh said it was not a meeting to chalk out any political strategies. Rather, it was for Lalu to meet the party leaders and funationaries after a long time.  

    “There is no other leader in Bihar, who understands the pain of the poor better than Lalu Prasad. He told party leaders how to help the poor amid the pandemic”.

  • Lalu Yadav to chair virtual meeting with RJD MLAs, review COVID situation in Bihar

    Patna (Bihar)  Former Bihar Chief Minister and Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) President Lalu Prasad Yadav will chair a virtual meeting with party MLAs on May 9 to discuss the COVID situation in the state.

    The meeting will also be attended by the Leader of Opposition in the Bihar Assembly, Tejashwi Yadav.

    According to an official statement, the legislators will discuss the ravaging surge of coronavirus cases in Bihar at the meeting. Tejashwi Yadav will be reviewing the health facilities being provided to COVID infected patients in various districts of the state, it added.

    The party has also directed its MLAs to assist people in their respective areas, the statement added.

    The meeting comes days after Lalu Yadav was granted bail by the Jharkhand High Court.

    The RJD chief was convicted in the case of fraudulent withdrawal from Dumka Treasury, one of the cases related to the fodder scam, and served three years in Birsa Munda jail.

    Lalu Prasad Yadav was admitted to Delhi’s All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) as he was undergoing medical treatment even when he was in custody and remained there days after he was granted bail on April 17.

    For the better arrangement of the health care facilities in all districts of Bihar, Tejashwi along with other party MLAs have recommended using MLA funds, read the official statement to the press.

    According to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Bihar has 1,13,480 active COVID-19 cases.

  • RJD joins Congress-led Grand Alliance in Assam

    By PTI
    GUWAHATI: The Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) on Tuesday said that it has joined the opposition Congress-led ‘Grand Alliance’ in Assam and will contest one seat during the first phase of the assembly election.

    With this, the number of constituents in the Grand Alliance has gone up to eight.

    RJD Assam president Shonarul Shah Mustafa told PTI that the party has formally joined the opposition grouping and it will contest the Tinsukia constituency which will go to polls during the first phase on March 27.

    “Now talks are on between central leaders of the RJD and the Congress to finalise the seat-sharing agreement for the second and third phase of polling,” he said.

    Mustafa said that the party has fielded Hira Devi Choudhury for Tinsukia, which has a large number of Hindi-speaking people.

    State Congress spokesperson Bobbeeta Sharma confirmed that the RJD has joined the Grand Alliance.

    Earlier, the Grand Alliance consisted of the Congress, AIUDF, Bodoland People’s Front (BPF), CPI, CPI(M), CPI(ML) and the Anchalik Gana Morcha (AGM).

    It was formed to fight the upcoming election for the 126-member assembly against the BJP-led NDA.

    Out of the 47 seats where voting will be held in the first phase, the Congress will contest 43 constituencies.

    The AIUDF, CPI(ML), AGM and the RJD will fight in the four other seats, Sharma said.

    Polling will be held in 47 on March 27 in the first phase, while 39 and 40 constituencies will go to polls on April 1 and April 6 respectively.

  • PM Modi, Rahul Gandhi, Tejashwi Yadav, Chirag Paswan urge people of Bihar to cast vote

    Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday urged voters to exercise their electoral rights as polling for the first phase of Bihar Assembly polls is underway.

    “Today is the first round of voting in Bihar assembly elections. I urge all voters to ensure their participation in this festival of democracy, taking precautions related to Covid. Maintain 6-feet distance and wear a mask. Remember first vote, then refreshment!” Modi tweeted.

    Voting began on 71 constituencies spread across 16 districts in the first phase of Bihar Assembly elections on Wednesday at 7 am.

    As many as 1,066 candidates are in the fray including 42 from Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), 35 from Janata Dal (United), 29 from BJP, 21 from Congress and 8 from Left parties.

    Bihar is witnessing a triangular contest with the ruling JDU-BJP alliance and grand alliance (RJD, Congress and others) and Chirag Paswan’s Lok Janshakti Party (LJP), which is eying the role of a kingmaker in case of a hung Assembly.

    On one side is the NDA which includes JD-U (contesting 115 seats), BJP (110 seats), Vikassheel Insaan Party (11 seats) and Jitan Ram Manjhi’s Hindustani Awam Morcha (7 seats).

    Mahagathbandhan which picked Tejashwi Yadav as chief ministerial candidate constitutes RJD (144 seats) and the Congress with 70 seats. Other alliance partners include the CPI-ML (19 seats), CPI (6 seats), and the CPIM (4 seats).

  • Embarrassment for Rahul Gandhi’s close friend! Tejashwi Yadav has to vacate govt bungalow after Patna HC rejects his plea

    Following footsteps of the former Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh Akhilesh Yadav, here’s yet another former CM forced to leave his house! Welcoming a major setback in a row, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader and former Bihar deputy CM Tejashwi Yadav is forced to leave his bungalow without his wish and as per the orders of High Court.

    Yadav is set to vacate the government bungalow in Patna in Bihar after the Patna High Court rejected his plea seeking an extension to his stay in the bungalow, though he is no more the deputy CM of Bihar. Yadav had filed a plea with HC challenging the Bihar government’s order asking him to vacate the bungalow.

    One cannot deny that the opposition leaders are well versed with enjoying Government facilities, whether they are serving the post or not. The BJP party was successful in removing Yadav from his post and thus the present leader of opposition in Bihar Assembly had to quit his post in 2017 after CM Nitish Kumar-led Janata Dal (United) walked out of the alliance with Congress and the RJD, to join hands with the BJP.

    The single-judge order had said “the petitioner has been allotted a bungalow, matching his status as a minister in the government, at 1, Polo Road, Patna. He cannot raise complaint on the decision so taken, simply because the present bungalow is more suited to him”.

    Despite the government order and after almost a year since RJD lost power, Tejashwi, continued to occupy the posh bungalow, which is located next to the chief minister’s residence. The government had asked Tejashwi to switch residences with his successor, BJP’s Sushil Kumar Modi, who presently lives a kilometer away from the CM’s residence.

    Reports have also stated that Yadav had previously targeted Sushil Modi for “trying to oust him” out of his bungalow. Well, we are in a state of confusion that whether the RJD leader has lost his senses or rather forgotten the basic rules and regulations of Government. Trying and blaming the BJP Leaders for insensible reasons has become a daily routine for the opposition these days.