Ahead of the Rashtriya Janata Dal’s national executive meeting on February 10, party chief Lalu Prasad on Tuesday expressed his keenness to return to mainstream politics.The Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) supremo also called the speculations of elevating his younger son Tejashwi as party president ‘misleading’.
“I am keen to return to active politics. Will contest Lok Sabha polls and return to the parliament. There are legal restrictions on me to contest polls but once these hurdles are removed, I will fight the elections,” Prasad said while talking to reporters in New Delhi at the residence of his eldest daughter Misa Bharti.
Prasad returned to Patna in the evening for the RJD’s Thursday meeting, which would be attended by 250 party representatives from different states and 76 national executive members.
The party is expected to launch an intensive membership drive to increase the active members to one crore and also pass resolutions on social, economic and political situation in the country.
The RJD chief maintained he did miss going to the Parliament as a member but emphasised he keeps a close watch on the parliamentary proceedings.“But there is less liberty now in the parliament ,” Prasad said, implying that voices of opposition members were being suppressed by the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)- led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government.
The RJD chief had last contested the 2009 parliamentary polls and won from Saran seat. He was disqualified from the Lok Sabha membership in 2013 following his conviction in a fodder scam case. He was prevented from contesting polls under provisions of the Representation of People Act, 1951, which debars convicted elected representatives for the period of the prison sentence and six years thereafter.
{{/usCountry}}The RJD chief had last contested the 2009 parliamentary polls and won from Saran seat. He was disqualified from the Lok Sabha membership in 2013 following his conviction in a fodder scam case. He was prevented from contesting polls under provisions of the Representation of People Act, 1951, which debars convicted elected representatives for the period of the prison sentence and six years thereafter.
{{/usCountry}}Prasad has been convicted in four fodder scam cases and is awaiting the verdict in a fifth case relating to fraudulent withdrawal of ₹139 crore from Doranda treasury. A special Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court in Ranchi will deliver the verdict on February 15.
Significantly, Prasad refuted the speculative reports in the media that Tejashwi could be elevated to the party president’s post at the upcoming national executive meet.
“Such reports are all baseless and misleading.The national executive has been called as it is mandatory to hold the meet as per party’s constitution,” he said.
A few days back, Prasad had told the media that he was still the party’s president even as his wife-cum-former chief minister Rabri Devi had also asserted that Prasad would continue to hold the top post. Prasad’s elder son and MLA, Tej Pratap Yadav had also reiterated the same.
Accusing the BJP of misleading people on the demand for special status to Bihar, Prasad said that the ruling NDA government at the Centre was trying to sidestep from its responsibility to accord the status by claiming how central assistance under a package had been devolved to the state. “The Centre should accord special status to Bihar,” he said.
On the Uttar Pradesh polls, the RJD chief said the UP chief minister Yogi Adityanath was using aggressive and objectionable language in the campaign. “The way Adityanath is using aggressive such language shows he is nervous and BJP is set to lose the state polls,”Prasad added.