In poll-bound Bihar, expelled Janata Dal (United) leader and former Industries Minister in the Nitish Kumar Cabinet Shyam Rajak on Monday joined the Opposition Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) while three RJD MLAs had hopped to the ruling JD(U). The Assembly elections are due in October-November.
Mr. Rajak was earlier in the RJD and Minister in the regimes of Mr. Lalu Prasad and Rabri Devi. In 2009, he joined the JD(U) and was inducted into the Ministry in 2017 when Mr. Kumar formed the NDA government. “I’m getting emotional today on my homecoming,” said Mr. Rajak who returned to the RJD after 11 years.
Mr. Rajak slammed Mr. Kumar on several fronts. “He indulges in tall talk of development but one can see how much money his government has spent on development … what his views have been towards the Dalits or the marginalised sections,” said Mr. Rajak.
“The industries department was in a dormant state but when I revived it through various developmental works, roadblocks were put in my way…Nitish Kumar hears only what bureaucrats tell him.” Mr. Rajak was on Sunday expelled from the JD(U) and sacked from the Ministry by Governor on advice of the chief minister Nitish Kumar.
Unfurling a copy of the constitution of the JD(U), Mr. Rajak said, “It is ridiculous to say I was expelled from the party…JD(U) even does not respect its own constitution,” he said.
Mr. Rajak also took on the Nitish government for its stand on the National Register of Citizenship and other issues.
“I never ever compromised on my ideology for the poor and marginalised sections …I’m happy to pursue my ideology under the leadership of Tejashwi Yadav.”
Asked who else in the JD(U) felt like him, Mr. Rajak quipped, “aage aage dekhiye, hota hai kya [let’s see what happens in the coming days]”.
Mr. Tejashwi Yadav, who is also the Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly, charged that “In Nitish Kumar’s government there is no respect for public representatives, only bureaucrats rule the roost. There were a lot of issues like the CAA [Citizenship (Amendment) Act], Article 370, Triple Talaq, SC/ST reservation but Nitish Kumar compromised on all issues just to remain in power.”
Nitish is corrupt: Tejashwi
“One can see what is the situation of health, disaster management today in the times of COVID-19 and flood…what is the situation on the law and order front today, but Nitish Kumarji is busy in doing his politics and nothing at all.”
“And that is why we call him Bhishma Pitamaha [godfather] of corruption,” said Mr. Tejashwi Yadav.
On Sunday, the RJD also expelled three of its MLAs for anti-party activities.
The buzz in political circles is that another RJD MLA from Sasaram, Ashok Kushwaha, is also likely to join the JD(U) in a day or two.
The three RJD MLAs — Maheshwar Prasad Yadav (Gaighat), Prema Chaudhury (Patepur) and Dr Ashok Kumar (Sasaram) — joined the JD(U) in the presence of senior party leaders charging the RJD with becoming a party of the rich and sycophants.
“Nitish Kumar is a man of development and he has done a lot for the welfare of women and Dalits…we’ve complete faith in his leadership…RJD has now become a party of rich and sycophants”, they said.
Another expelled RJD MLA Faraz Fatmi did not join any party.
