Patna: The Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) passing a decision to present its president Lalu Prasad Yadav or his son and deputy chief minister Tejashwi Yadav the ability to alter the identify and image of the social gathering has set Bihar’s political circles abuzz.
The transfer is being seen because the RJD setting the stage for its seemingly merger with Nitish Kumar’s Janata Dal (United), which might imply Tejashwi holding the reins in Bihar whereas chief minister Nitish strikes on to play a job in nationwide politics.
“I suggest that the change within the identify of Rashtriya Janata Dal or its electoral image [a hurricane lantern] and allied points might be determined by RJD nationwide president Lalu Prasad or RJD chief Tejashwi Yadav. Their choice might be closing,” learn out Lalu’s trusted aide Bhola Yadav on the RJD’s two-day nationwide govt and council assembly that concluded Monday.
Although the decision caught social gathering leaders without warning, they did vote to move it. “This was not on the agenda and got here up all of a sudden,” a senior RJD chief advised ThePrint.
RJD spokesperson Mrityunjay Tiwari, nevertheless, mentioned, “The social gathering is solidly behind Tejashwi Yadav and we are going to observe his each diktat. The JD(U)-RJD merger shouldn’t be past the realm of chance.”
Chatting with ThePrint on the attainable merger, an RJD minister mentioned: “In spite of everything, each events have their roots in the identical ideology. Ever for the reason that two events acquired collectively in August this 12 months, there have been talks of Nitish Kumar leaving Patna for Delhi politics. It’s only a matter of time. JD(U) with out Nitish Kumar in Bihar has no that means.”
“It will likely be helpful for Nitish additionally that he could have the assist of a robust political base when he goes to Delhi,” added the minister, who wished to not be named because of a purported gag order on RJD leaders towards talking concerning the alliance.
The JD(U), nevertheless, is sustaining silence on the matter. “The decision is an inner improvement of the RJD. We don’t have any details about a merger,” mentioned JD(U) MLC Neeraj Kumar.
On the RJD’s nationwide govt assembly, all the present, sources mentioned, was about Tejashwi. Lalu is believed to have introduced that each one choices relating to the social gathering’s insurance policies might be taken by Tejashwi.
Furthermore, it was Tejashwi and never Lalu who delivered the important thing tackle, asking RJD followers to accommodate individuals of all castes and sections within the social gathering, the sources added. And although Lalu left for Singapore Wednesday for his kidney associated remedy, no person has any doubts about whom to observe within the social gathering president’s absence.
Ever for the reason that Mahagathbandhan authorities got here into existence in August, the sensation in political circles has been that Nitish will give method to Tejashwi as CM of Bihar. In actual fact, RJD leaders like Jagdanand Singh have gone on report to say that Tejashwi will substitute Nitish in 2023, reportedly resulting in friction between JD(U) and RJD leaders.
Consequently, Tejashwi needed to step in to declare that he’s “in no hurry”. “Tejashwi needs the transition to be easy and he has time in his hand,” mentioned one other RJD minister.
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The outdated ‘Janata Parivar’
Rumours of a resurrection of the outdated Janata Dal of the Nineties have additionally been doing the rounds. The Janata Dal, by the late Nineties, had damaged up a number of occasions. The RJD, the Samata Celebration, the Samajwadi Celebration (SP) in UP, the Indian Nationwide Lok Dal (INLD) in Haryana, the Janata Dal (Secular) in Karnataka, and the Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) of Jayant Chaudhary are all splinters of the erstwhile Janata Dal.
In 2015, when Nitish Kumar was with Lalu, efforts have been made for a merger of the ‘Janata Parivar’ to tackle the rising affect of the Bharatiya Janata Celebration (BJP).
Three rounds of talks have been held in Delhi. Nevertheless, the late Mulayam Singh Yadav is believed to have developed chilly ft on the final second as a result of the SP’s belongings have been a lot bigger than these of any of the opposite events.
Even when Nitish rejoined the NDA, he didn’t abandon his mission utterly — he’s believed to have requested then nationwide vice-president of JD(U) Prashant Kishor to carry talks with the Janata Parivar.
“After 2017, there have been appeals from the RJD to Nitish to return to them as CM. At the moment, Nitish had extra MLAs than the BJP and he didn’t give it any critical thought, however after the 2020 meeting polls, when his variety of MLAs dropped to 43 because of the [Lok Janshakti Party’s] ‘Chirag mannequin’, he was satisfied that the BJP was out to complete him off,” mentioned D.M. Diwakar, former director of A.N. Sinha Institute of Social Research in Patna.
“The merger of the RJD and JD(U) might be a pure political phenomenon. The decision in Delhi was a end result of those undercurrents,” he added.
‘Nitish has no different choice’
Based on BJP MP and former deputy CM Sushil Kumar Modi, the JD(U) will seemingly merge with the RJD as a result of “Nitish Kumar has no different choice”.
“Nitish has been wooing [INLD’s] Om Prakash Chautala and [SP’s] Akhilesh Yadav aside from JD(S). Nevertheless, Nitish hopes to deliver main events beneath one social gathering in order that he will be the chief of a big block in Delhi,” he mentioned.
BJP sources mentioned the merger is predicted to insulate the JD(U). The RJD and JD(U)’s mixed tally is 125 within the 243-member meeting.
(Edited by Zinnia Ray Chaudhuri)
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