Party posters without JD(U) national chief’s pictures trigger row

Large posters put up to announce the arrival of Union minister R C P Singh on August 16 in Patna did not have images of the newly appointed JD(U) national president Lalan Singh and JD(U) national parliamentary board chairman Upendra Kushwaha

A controversy erupted in the JD(U) on Sunday when large posters were put up at the party office and other places to announce the arrival of former JD(U) president and newly inducted Union minister R C P Singh on August 16 in Patna did not have images of the newly appointed JD(U) national president Rajiv Ranjan Singh alias Lalan Singh and JD(U) national parliamentary board chairman Upendra Kushwaha.

Patna-Aug.8,2021-A poster at JDU party office in Patna on Sunday. (Santosh Kumar/Ht photo)

The posters put up by youth JD(U) president Abhay Kushwaha had pictures of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, RCP Singh and other leaders. The conspicuous absence of Lalan Singh’s picture from the poster did raise eyebrows and sent across a message about internal friction within the party between the newly elected JD(U) president and his predecessor.

The posters came up just two days after JD(U) national president Lalan Singh was given a rousing welcome in the state capital, which was seen more as a show of strength by the Munger MP.

However, most of the posters were removed from the party office and other places by the afternoon after the party’s state leaders took strong exception to it. Umesh Kushwaha, JD(U) state president, said that the absence of JD(U) national president from the posters was a breach of protocol and those responsible for it would be facing action.

“We will send show-cause to the persons responsible for this. If their reply is not satisfactory, they will face action,” the JD(U) state president said. On his part, Abhay Kushwaha called the incident a mistake.

Tejashwi missing from RJD posters

Meanwhile, some eyebrows were also raised over posters put up outside the RJD state office by the youth wing of the party, in which large images of former health minister and Hasanpur MLA Tej Pratap Yadav were visible while pictures of the leader of the opposition Tejashwi Yadav were missing. There are speculations that Tej Pratap, who has been critical of the state president Jagdanand Singh, is keen on playing more assertive in the party and trying to increase his clout to compete with his younger brother Tejashwi who has gained acceptance as the party’s face.

Tej Pratap, during a party’s youth wing meeting, took potshots at the state president Jagdanand Singh again, saying that some people are acting on their whims and fancies and have introduced a ‘system’ in the party due to which people are not able to come freely to the state office. “This party belongs to all and not a fiefdom of few people. That is why I have become active to bring in the same old vibrancy in the party so that people do not act arbitrarily,” he said.

About the missing photo of Tejashwi Yadav from the party’s posters, Tej Pratap said, “Why are you all bothered about pictures. Tejashwi is in my heart. He is our chief ministerial face,” Yadav said.