Jharkhand Rift Widens In Ruling India Bloc As Rjd And Cong Target Each Other Post Rs Result

The political fault line between the Congress and the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), the two key allies of the INDIA bloc, is widening. On Friday, Lalu Prasad directly accused Jharkhand Congress in-charge K Raju of being responsible for Pranav Jha’s defeat in the Rajya Sabha polls.

Addressing a press conference on Friday, senior RJD leaders led by Bhola Yadav, RJD national general secretary and a close aide of the national president, described Raju as ‘Bikau’ (sold out). They also urged the Congress leadership to sack him from the party and asked Chief Minister Hemant Soren to remove the grand-old party from the government.

The strongly worded tirade against the Congress was in response to Raju’s Thursday allegations that their candidate lost because the RJD and the CPI (ML-L) ‘betrayed’ them and their MLAs crossvoted, besides other legislators demanding removal of RJD from the state government. Both parties vehemently denied the charge.

“I served as the election agent for the Rajya Sabha election held yesterday, and all the honourable RJD MLAs cast their votes after showing their ballots to me. We are deeply hurt by K Raju’s statement and condemn it in the strongest terms. Our national president Lalu Prasad Yadav never joined hands with communal forces; had he done so, he would not have faced imprisonment or become entangled in various legal cases,” said Yadav.

Reacting to demands from Congress legislators to remove the RJD from the government, Yadav emphasised that the RJD does not rely on others for its politics, and it possesses its own mass base and the distinct identity of Lalu Prasad Yadav. Yadav further underlined that Congress leaders should avoid making such remarks.

“The RJD does not need a certificate from K Raju. We are accountable to our leader, not to the Congress. We work with a sense of dedication to carry out whatever our respected leader says; we execute exactly the tasks he assigns.

K Raju should do some introspection before making statements against the RJD,” he added.

Yadav was joined at the press conference by all four RJD legislators including State Labour and Employment Minister Sanjay Prasad Yadav, who alleged Raju was making such allegations to save his own skin.

“I suspect that Raju---who is associated with various factions in Congress---and his group orchestrated a scheme of cross-voting and are now conspiring to defame the RJD to save themselves; I strongly condemn this. Raju’s statement is inappropriate; he ought to control his own MLAs—who are clearly not under his command—rather than making such remarks to mask his own misdeeds,” he added.

Describing Raju as ‘Bikau’ (sold out), RJD legislature party leader Suresh Paswan sought action against Raju and urged the chief minister to remove Congress from the government.

“The thief shouts the loudest. That is precisely what K. Raju has done. Raju is a sellout; he attempted to sell the party and is now conspiring to malign the RJD to shield himself—an act that is condemnable. We urge Sonia Gandhi to sack him if the party wants to save itself. We also demand that Chief Minister Hemant Soren remove the Congress and form a new government. We are in total support of Hemant Soren,” added Paswan.

While Yadav was the RJD’s party agent (party legislators must show their choice of vote on the ballot paper to the party agent before putting it in the ballot box), Congress assigned Raju the same task. It was unprecedented for such senior leaders to be made party agents for the Rajya Sabha polls.

For the uninitiated, Bhola Yadav is one of RJD chief Lalu Prasad’s closest aides. Having worked as personal secretary to the RJD chief, Bhola Yadav has grown through the ranks and has held senior posts in the organization, including serving as a member of the legislative council in Bihar. Despite holding senior positions, Bhola Yadav has remained a shadow to the RJD chief, whether during his trial in the fodder scam and subsequent jail term in Ranchi following conviction, or on issues related to Lalu’s health conditions, party insiders said.

Political observers, meanwhile, questioned Bhola Yadav’s claims, asking why his words, if true, didn’t reflect in Congress’ tally. “It’s common sense that MLAs must show their vote to the party agent. So either he or his top leadership is lying about how their legislator actually voted. If they voted for Congress, why doesn’t it reflect in the tally?” said Alok Gupta, professor, Political Science, Jharkhand Central Univeristy.

Reacting to the charge, Congress spokesperson Rakesh Sinha said If a party lacks confidence in its own MLAs and leaders, it is inappropriate to vent its frustration on the Congress.

“It is beyond the purview of RJD leaders to comment on factionalism or the organizational state of the Congress. The Congress is a national party and is fully capable of managing its internal affairs. The personal remarks made regarding K. Raju are not only unfortunate but also contrary to the spirit of the *Mahagathbandhan* (Grand Alliance). Leaders who used language labeling him a “sellout” ought to first reflect on the decorum of their words and political culture. Attempting to tarnish a senior leader’s image without evidence is a sign of political bankruptcy,” Sinha added.

Sources in the party further said a Congress delegation met the chief minister at his residence after Thursday’s results and apprised Hemant Soren of the party legislators’ ‘sentiments,’ who want action against the RJD and its possible removal from the government. Ultimately, the chief minister is the face of the alliance. And if the INDIA bloc has been hit by betrayal, his image has been dented as well. And he needs to act accordingly,” a party leader who was part of the delegation said.

Vishal Kant works as an Assistant Editor with Hindustan Times. He tracks developments in Aam Aadmi Party and Delhi government. Vishal has spent about a decade covering the city politics and governance, besides writing on Delhi’s civic issues, urban transport and infrastructure.Read More