Lalu loyalist quits party posts over ticket row

The RJD leader is upset at party nominating Lalu's daughter from Pataliputra

RJD leader Ram Kripal Yadav talking to media persons outside party chief Lalu Prasad's residence in Patna after he was sentenced to 5 years imprisonment in fodder scam case by a special CBI court in Ranchi, on 03/10/2013. File photo:Ranjeet Kumar

Upset over denial of ticket from Patliputra Lok Sabha seat, Rashtriya Janata Dal leader Ram Kripal Yadav, a close aide of Lalu Prasad, on Saturday quit from all party posts but said he was in the party “as of now”.

Addressing a press conference two days after RJD named Mr. Prasad’s daughter Misa Bharti as candidate from Patliputra in Bihar, he disputed his party chief’s version that he had not expressed his inclination to contest from the seat.

Referring to Ms. Bharti’s visit to his home here on Friday and staying put for five hours in a bid to persuade him, he said it was an attempt at “emotional blackmail”.

Mr. Yadav, currently a Rajya Sabha member and a three-time Lok Sabha MP from Patna, said he was still in the party and has not quit Rajya Sabha.

He said the party, which was born to uphold the principles of social justice, now appeared to be interested in “family justice”.

Misa hits back at Ram Kripal

Rashtriya Janata Dal chief Lalu Prasad’s daughter Misa Bharti on Saturday made it clear that she will contest from Patliputra and hit back at party leader Ramkripal Yadav for dubbing her efforts to reach out to him as ‘nautanki’.

“Opposing a woman and calling her efforts ‘nautanki’ (drama) on International Women’s Day is an insult to women,” an agitated Ms. Misa told reporters here. “I am really upset at my sincere efforts to reach out to him being called emotional blackmail and nautanki,” said Ms. Misa who had reached out to ‘chacha’ (uncle) Mr. Yadav on Friday after he was angered by denial of a ticket to contest from the Patliputra Lok Sabha seat.

”...in fact, he did a ‘nautanki’ by announcing his resignation at a press conference at Delhi before I could do anything after reaching Patna on Saturday morning.”

Moreover, Mr. Yadav, the secretary-general of the RJD and also its Parliamentary board member who still has two years to go in the Rajya Sabha, did not stake claim to the Patliputra seat in front of Lalu Prasad, she said.

Ms. Misa evaded a direct reply when reporters asked whether action would be taken against Mr. Yadav for going against the party decision.

“I am not the party president. It is for him to decide over this or talk about this,” Ms. Misa, the eldest of the nine children of Mr. Prasad, said.