The development reduced RJD’s strength in the Vidhan Parishad from 75 members to just three.
Patna:
In a huge setback for the RJD during the election year, five of its MLC resigned from the party on Tuesday, forced a split in its legislative group within the Legislative Council of Bihar and joined the ruling JD (U) chaired by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar.
The development occurred one day when the former minister of the Union, Raghuvansh Prasad Singh, one of the founding members of the RJD and fervent supporter of his imprisoned supremo Lalu Prasad, resigned from his post of national vice-president for protest the proposed enthronement of one of his rivals. .
The five MLC SM Qamar Alam, Sanjay Prasad, Radha Charan Seth, Ranvijay Kumar Singh and Dilip Rai met with Acting President of Vidhan Parishad Awadhesh Narain Singh in their rooms and personally resigned, officials said. Upper house of the bicameral legislature.
They also asked Singh to be recognized as a separate group and allowed to merge with the JD (U).
JD (U) chief whip in the upper house Reena Yadav arrived with the party’s letter of consent and the acting president gave quick approval.
The development, which blinded the RJD, reduced the party’s strength to the Vidhan Parishad to 75 members to just three.
Sources in the ruling NDA hoped that Rabri Devi, the wife of RJD leader Lalu Prasad and herself national vice-president, could lose her position as opposition leader in the House.
According to the rules, the main opposition party must hold at least 10% of the total number of seats in the House before its leader can qualify for the position of Leader of the Opposition, a position of Cabinet ministerial rank. Meanwhile, Raghuvansh Prasad Singh, who supported the party through thickness and thinness, drew a letter announcing his resignation from the post expressing deep dissatisfaction with the situation at the RJD.
Mr. Singh, who is currently admitted to AIIMS, Patna, being treated for COVID-19, made it clear that he was not leaving the party, but added that he was extremely unhappy with the type of people that the RJD planned to incorporate.
Sources close to the RJD veteran, former Union Minister, confirmed that his dissatisfaction stemmed from reports that Rama Singh, a mafia-turned-politician to whom he lost his seat Vaishali Lok Sabha in the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, could join the party. .
Rama Singh broke ties with Ram Vilas Paswans LJP, who had lined him up in the 2014 election but refused to give him a ticket five years later.
JD (U) National Secretary General and Lok Sabha Leader Rajiv Ranjan Singh aka Lalan Singh held out an olive branch to Raghuvansh Prasad Singh, saying that the RJD never respected those who built the organization. It is in the interest of only one family. If he wishes to join us, he is welcome.
Raghuvansh Prasad Singh is known for not being in the best conditions with Tejashwi Yadav, heir to Lalu Prasads apparent, Tejashwi is the leader of the opposition in the State Assembly and the RJD has already declared the ministerial candidate in party leader for state elections likely in October-November.
Since the RJD was maimed in Lok Sabha’s polls last year, the veteran leader has made a strong plea to woo Nitish Kumar in the Grand Alliance and take advantage of the frequent differences that have plagued relations between the JD (U) and the BJP.
His suggestions, however, were always rejected by Tejashwi Yadav, leaving the repulsed veteran to lick his wounds.
The development comes a few days after the nine-seat elections of Bihar Vidhan Parishad on the quota of Vidhan Sabha where the deputies vote to elect the MLC. The RJD, which has 80 deputies, has decided to present three candidates.
The party has yet to announce their names and, in light of the chaos, faces the challenge of keeping their flock together.
Meanwhile, unrest in the RJD provided his sulky ally, Hindustani Awam Morcha of former chief minister Jitan Ram Manjhi, a chance to strike back against the dominant partner.
The RJD suffers the consequences of the ignorance of its loyal base workers to win those who have deep pockets or muscular strength. He must change his habits and start treating his own people in addition to the alliance partners with respect.
“Otherwise, a day will come when the RJD will be isolated, with only members of the Lalu Prasads family by its side,” said HAM spokesman Rizwan of Denmark.
