Turmoil resurfaces in RJD as Raghuvansh writes to Lalu

Turmoil in the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) resurfaced on Sunday with one of its founding members raising doubts over the party's preparedness for the Bihar assembly polls, scheduled in less than a year, and objecting to alliance partners being belittled in the zeal to project Tejashwi Yadav as the chief ministerial face.

Raghuvansh Prasad Singh, a national vice president known for speaking his mind, left the RJD aflutter with a letter he wrote to jailed supremo Lalu Prasad on January 9, copies of which he has sent to state president Jagadanand Singh and Tejashwi Yadav, among others.

In the letter, the former Union minister has expressed disapproval of the party having failed to spruce up the organisational structure and constitute committees at the booth level though "only 250-300 days are left for the assembly elections".

He has also expressed dissatisfaction with the party's inability to hold daily press briefings "in response to abuses hurled at us by both ruling parties (JD-U and BJP) through the media".

When journalists met the outspoken RJD veteran with queries, he said, "Whatever points I have raised are in the interest of the party. These must not be seen as dissent. Democracy thrives on plurality of opinions. It cannot be a case of my way or the highway."
Reacting with indignation to the RJD state presidents averment, Manjhi said, "They should realiSe that the days of Lalu ji's hegemony are over. The RJD needs other parties' support to keep itself afloat. If these people do not change their attitude, we may have to review our ties with them."
The Congress also voiced disapproval of the RJD's treatment of its alliance partners. Its MLC Prem Chandra Mishra, an AICC media panelist, said, "It is strange that the RJD always chooses its alliance partners for flexing its muscles. Is this how the party intends to fight an aggressive NDA?"
The system was frowned upon by Raghuvansh Prasad Singh