Lalu vows ‘war’ on BJP, defiant Sharad attends

Patna: RJD supremo Lalu Prasad Yadav on Sunday declared “a war against the BJP” as he was joined by several other political parties at his Patna rally, as rebel JD(U) leader Sharad Yadav showed up in defiance of his party’s direction and vowed to work for forging a national “gathbandhan” (alliance).

Lalu Yadav declared that his party will aim to defeat “communal” forces in the 2019 general election, daring Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP president Amit Shah to stop him and his family members from achieving this objective. The RJD chief accused the Centre of misusing the investigative agencies to file “false cases” against him and his family, including his son Tejashwi Yadav, to defame them.

Lalu Yadav’s “BJP Bhagao Desh Bachao” rally was attended, among others,  by Trinamul Congress chief and West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee, former UP CM and Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav and Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad.

Lalu Yadav welcomed Sharad Yadav by embracing him and calling his “faction” the real JD(U). Sharad Yadav’s presence on stage, despite his party warning him to stay away, may invitestern action against him.

The rebel JD(U) leader launched a veiled attack on party chief and Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar and said: “People will not forget and forgive those who broke the alliance in Bihar to remain in power. In a democracy, keeping promises is important.”

He said “those who broke the alliance in Bihar and betrayed the mandate will see a larger alliance being formed at the national level soon”.

The BJP claimed the rally was a flop. Bihar deputy CM and senior BJP leader Sushil Kumar Modi took a jibe at the RJD initiative on Twitter, and asked: “Where is Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, Mayawati, Arvind Kejriwal and the Left (CPM)?”

Reacting to Sharad Yadav’s presence at the rally, JD(U) secretary general K.C. Tyagi told this newspaper: “He ended his long association with the party by attending the rally organised by the RJD. We feel that he has voluntarily left the JD(U) by going against the party line.”

Mr Tyagi said the party will now initiate the process for expelling Sharad Yadav from the JD(U) and seeking his disqualification from the Rajya Sabha.

Observers said that Lalu Yadav, who is facing the worst phase of his political career after a string of corruption charges were levelled against him and his family, organised the rally to consolidate the Muslim-Yadav-Dalit  (M-Y-D) votebank in a bid to counter the NDA, specially the JD(U) and BJP, that recently formed a new government in Bihar.

Lalu Yadav had earlier said: “I had toured Bihar during the Assembly elections seeking votes for the JD(U), I gave away the cadre votes to Nitish Kumar and his party betrayed the mandate by joining hands with communal forces.”

He said no other political party will now believe a “turncoat” like Mr Kumar.

Also present at the rally were C.P. Joshi of the Congress, Nationalist Congress Party’s Tariq Anwar, Rashtriya Lok Dal’s Choudhary Jayant Singh, CPI’s Sudhakar Reddy, former Jharkhand CMs Hemant Soren of Jharkhand Mukti Morcha and Babulal Marandi of Jharkhand Vikas Morcha, All India United Democratic Front leader Badruddin Ajmal and leaders from the DMK, Janata Dal-Secular and the Revolutionary Socialist Party.

Tejashwi Yadav, Lalu Yadav’s elder son Tej Pratap Yadav, wife Rabri Devi, Lalu’s daughter Misa Bharti, all of whom face corruption cases, were also present.