After a legislature party meeting in Patna, the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) asserted that Tejaswi Yadav, younger son of party chief Lalu Prasad, will not resign from the post of Bihar Deputy Chief Minister.
On Friday last, the CBI filed an FIR against Mr. Yadav and conducted a raid at 10 Circular Road in Patna, where he lives with his father and mother, former Chief Minister Rabri Devi.
“The CBI raid is a ploy to destabilise the grand alliance government in Bihar…these days, those who raise their voice against the BJP face such coercive acts by the central government…we’ll fight the BJP and chase them away from power”, senior RJD leader and State’s Finance Minister Abdul Bari Siddiqui told journalists at the end of the party meeting at Mr. Prasad's residence.
All party MLAs, MPs and senior leaders were present at the meeting, which lasted for nearly two hours. Mr. Siddiqui asserted that with such coercive acts, the RJD would emerge much stronger. “ Jab jab RJD per is tarah ka humla hua hai…RJD aur majboot ho ke nikla hai [whenever such attacks had happened against RJD... the party has come out more stronger]”, he said.
“The question of Tejaswi Yadav’s resignation did not come up at the meeting…he is leader of our legislative party in the State legislature….why should he resign?…there is no question of it”, said party leaders coming out of the meeting. The issue of how to make the party’s proposed mega rally, BJP hatao, Desh bachao'' , on August 27 a grand success was discussed, they said.
All eyes on JD(U)
Soon after the RJD made its move clear, senior Janata Dal (United) leaders such as R.C.P. Singh, State party chief Basistha Narayan Singh and Rajeev Ranjan Singh alias Lallan Singh were seen rushing to 1, Anne Marg, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s official residence.
Mr. Kumar has not come out with any comments on the CBI raids.
The JD(U) has called a core committee meeting on Tuesday and political observers believe that at that crucial meeting Mr. Kumar might take some decision.
Senior JD(U) leader and party's Rajya Sabha member Sharad Yadav has said that efforts were on to “destabilise the grand alliance government in Bihar by the BJP-led Central government”.
Will kick off movement against Deputy CM: BJP
The BJP has said they would take the issue to the village level and kick off a movement against the ''tainted'' Deputy Chief Minister of the State.
“The BJP will apprise the people of the corruption done by Mr. Prasad and his family members”, said State BJP president Nitya Nand Rai.
The BJP would “put pressure on Mr. Kumar to sack Mr. Tejaswi Yadav. If Mr. Tejaswi Yadav does not resign, it will put a question mark on the clean image of Mr. Kumar”, he added.
