JD(U) leader named RJD's national secy, Nitish's party alleges

The ruling JD(U) in Bihar on Friday charged the RJD with "organisational fraud" after Lalu Prasad's party named among its key office-bearers a former Rajya Sabha member who had joined Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's party a few months back.

JD(U) MLC and state minister for information and public relations department Neeraj Kumar mocked the opposition party for naming Kumkum Rai, an ex-MP, as one of its national secretaries.

"Lalu's stint in power was marked by rampant kidnappings for ransom. Tejashwi Yadav is touring the state on a bus purchased through an irregular transaction. Now they seem to have taken things to another level by claiming as their own Rai, who is a former MP and a professor at Patna University, and had joined JD(U) in August 2019," Kumar told reporters outside the assembly.

"This is 'saangathanik jaalsaazi' (organizational fraud) which has no precedent or parallel in politics," he exclaimed.

The RJD had come out with its new national executive, approved by its jailed national president, on Thursday.

The party's principal national general secretary Qamar Alam had told the media, while sharing the list of office- bearers, that it was "approved" by Prasad who is in Ranchi, serving sentences in fodder scam cases.

With egg on its face, the party hurriedly came out with a statement that Rai's name found its way into the list because of an oversight and the same has been replaced with that of Yaduvansh Kumar.

"Most names in the current national executive have been retained from the previous one formed in 2018. In the process of copying the names, the mistake might have taken place," Alam told journalists when asked about the slipup.

Altogether six national secretaries were named in the list, including Arwal MLA Ravindra Singh.

Yaduvansh Kumar is an MLA representing Supaul and also formerly headed the RJD's district unit. Known to be temperamental, he had thrown a fit last year when Jan Adhikar Party founder Pappu Yadav entered the fray from Madhepura where Sharad Yadav was contesting on an RJD ticket.

Yaduvansh Kumar had retaliated by fielding a rebel candidate against Supaul MP Ranjita Ranjan who happens to be Pappu Yadav's wife. The move had left the Congress fuming and the RJD its old ally embarrassed.

Last month, his appearance at Kanhaiya Kumar's rally against CAA-NPR-NRC is said to have raised many eyebrows as Tejashwi Yadav - the RJD's chief ministerial candidate and Lalu Prasad's heir apparent - is said to be wary of the popularity of the CPI's rising star.