Tejashwi not leader of Grand Alliance, but of RJD: Manjhi

After the Congress, another ally of the RJD-led Grand Alliance, Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM) chief and former Chief Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi on Thursday targeted Bihar opposition leader Tejashwi Yadav, saying the latter is the leader of RJD, not of the Grand Alliance.

A week after the RJD-led opposition's rout in the Lok Sabha elections in Bihar, Manjhi has made it clear here that, at this juncture, the leader of the Grand Alliance for the 2020 Bihar Assembly polls has not been not finalised.

"Tejashwi is leader of RJD but he is not the leader of the Grand Alliance", he said.

Manjhi said the Grand Alliance allies, including, Congress, RJD, Rashtriya Lok Samta Party (RLSP), HAM and the Vikassheel Insan Party (VIP) would sit together to decide about the leader of the Grand Alliance.

Referring to the Rashtriya Janata Dal(RJD) decision, taken at its poll debacle review meeting on Wednesday to name of Tejashwi Yadav as the Grand Alliance leader, Manjhi said such a decision could only be taken by the Grand Alliance, not the RJD.

The RJD has reacted strongly over Manjhi's statement. Its senior leader Shivanand Tiwary said the party has elected Tejashwi Yadav as its leader and chief ministerial candidate for the Bihar Assembly polls next year.

Changing Tejashwi Yadav's is not possible for the RJD, he said, adding that the party will discuss the issue with Manjhi.

The RJD failed to win even a single seat in Bihar in the just concluded Lok Sabha elections.

A Congress legislator Shakeel Ahmad Khan on Wednesday questioned the leadership ability of Tejashwi Yadav and blamed the feud in jailed RJD chief Lalu Prasad's family for the RJD-led opposition's rout in the Lok Sabha elections in Bihar.

"Tejashwi lacked experience to lead and manage politics. It was very much visible during the Lok Sabha elections. This badly affected the performance of the Grand Alliance," said Khan, a Congress legislator from Kadwa and a former president of the JNU students union.

Senior RJD leader and former Union Minister Raghuvansh Prasad Singh on Tuesday blamed the feud between Lalu Prasad Yadav's two sons for the party's worst ever performance in the Lok Sabha battle.

Singh, who was himself defeated in Vaishali, has advised both the sons to introspect.

RJD legislator Maheshwar Yadav on Monday demanded that Bihar opposition leader Tejashwi Yadav should resign on moral grounds after the nGrand Alliance was routed by the NDA in the Lok Sabha polls.

--IANS

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