Patna,(BiharTimes): Rejecting the strong opposition by party leaders like vice president, Raghuvansh Prasad Singh, and MLAs like Raghvendra Pratap Singh, Bhai Birendra and a couple of others Rashtriya Janata Dal chief Lalu Prasad Yadav on Wednesday announced his party’s support to the two Janata Dal (United) candidates for the Rajya Sabha by-poll.
Talking to the media Lalu said that he does not want to become a party to the BJP’s plan to destabilize the Jitan Ram Manjhi government in Bihar and thus thrust its own agenda.
However, he said his party is not issuing any whip, which is anyway a crime too.
Departing from the general practice he read a prepared Press note and distributed it to the mediapersons.
He, however, warned the MLAs not to become a party to horsetrading as those indulging in it may have to go to jail as it happened in Jharkhand.
Lalu made it clear that it a known fact that it is the same JD(U), which had made the BJP strong in Bihar and weakened the force of social justice. But he maintained this is not the time to accuse Chote Bhai of what wrongs he had committed in the past.
Earlier, in the day its vice president, Raghuvansh Prasad Singh, said that the party should not support the Janata Dal (United) candidates as till a few days back it was the same party, which used to criticize RJD and humiliate its leaders and workers.
Raghuvansh said that it is ironical that when anyone is with the RJD he or she is associated with the Jungle Raj, but just when anyone of them joins the Janata Dal (Unite) and becomes a minister the same person becomes developmental minded.
When Lalu was asked about the opposition by the party’s vice president, he retorted that the president’s decision is the decision of the party.
He, however, made it clear that the decision is only to support the Rajya Sabha candidates. He said that he was only talking about the present and not about future.
He opposed the reported move of the Modi government to sack the governors by saying that governors are the representatives of the President and thus should not be dismissed.
Lalu’s decision came after two marathon meetings of RJD’s legislators held on Tuesday and Wednesday. Four and five party MLAs abstained from the meetings on these two respective days.
Lalu’s stand has come as a relief to the beleaguered JD(U).
