Chirag Paswan real leader of LJP, should work with Tejashwi Yadav: Lalu Prasad
Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief and former Bihar chief minister Lalu Prasad also said the caste census should be conducted at all costs
Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief and former Bihar chief minister Lalu Prasad on Tuesday backed Chirag Paswan, who was recently upstaged in his Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) by his uncle and MP Pashupati Kumar Paras, and said he wanted him to work with his younger son Tejashwi Yadav, the RJD’s heir apparent.
“Chirag has all-round support of his people and has emerged as real leader of his party,” Prasad told reporters in New Delhi after meeting his ailing colleague and former union minister Sharad Yadav at the latter’s residence.
Asked whether Tejashwi and Chirag would join hands, the RJD chief said he wanted both the young leaders to work together.
The 74-year-old RJD chief , who is himself convalescing after a long spell of illness at his daughter and MP Misa Bharti’s residence in the national capital, said, “Sharad ji is our senior and his illness and absence from Parliament has caused a vacuum. I, Mulayam Singh ji and Sharad bhai had struggled hard and raised issues related to Mandal commission and caste census in Parliament,” he said, adding that caste-based census should be done at all costs.
Prasad met Samajwadi Party patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav on Monday.
Sharad Yadav, who formed his own outfit after falling out with Nitish Kumar and quitting Janata Dal (United), had contested the 2019 parliamentary polls as RJD candidate from Madhepura but lost to Dinesh Chandra Yadav of the JD(U).
All three leaders were once part of the old Janata Dal.
“We are trying to unite all old Janata Dal forces. Talks are going on. Efforts to form a third front is also a welcome step as it would throw a viable alternative to people,” Prasad said.
On Bihar, Prasad said RJD had come very close to power in the 2020 assembly elections but missed could not form government due to electoral manipulation. “I was in jail during the assembly polls, but Tejashwi fought alone and was close to forming the government. But some of our candidates lost by a margin of 10-15 votes due to electoral manipulation,” he said.
Prasad had been incarcerated since December 2017 following his conviction in fodder scam cases and was released on bail in April this year.
Asked if he still has a place in heart for his friend-turned-foe, chief minister Nitish Kumar, Prasad said, “People make a place in your heart and then relationships turn sour. Yes, Kumar was with us,” Prasad said, evading a direct reply. Asked about possibility of Kumar coming with the RJD again, Prasad did not comment.
On JD(U)’s bid to project Kumar as “PM material”, the RJD chief said, “Let PM Narendra Modi take note of it. BJP has already said there is no vacancy for PM post.”
