‘Miffed’ senior RJD leader Raghuvansh Prasad Singh decides to step down from party post

Bihar’s main opposition party – Rashtriya Janata Dal- reeling from the defection of five of its MLCs, appeared to suffer yet another major jolt on Tuesday senior party member and former Union minister Raghuvansh Prasad Singh deciding to step down from the post of the national vice president, according to sources.

Sources said the former MP, who is in hospital after falling sick recently, has communicated his decision to resign from the party post to top RJD leaders.

“Yes, Raghuvansh ji has resigned from the party post. I cannot comment on it much,” said PK Choudhary, a close aide of the former MP.

Earlier on Tuesday, five RJD MLCs -Radha Charan Shah, Sanjay Prasad, Dilip Rai, Md Kamar Alam and Ranvijay Kumar Singh- switched over to the ruling Janata Dal (United), leaving Lalu Prasad Yadav’s party with just thee MLCs in the state legislative Council.

Prasad’s move is being seen as a ‘backlash’ as the 75-year-old leader, considered a Rajput face, is reportedly unhappy at the likely induction of former MP Rama Kishore Singh in the party in next few days.

Rama Kishore Singh, another Rajput leader from Vaishali, has several criminal cases against him. Political observers feel that his entry –a move by RJD to consolidate its traditional Muslim- Yadav- Rajput combination in the forthcoming assembly polls- could further marginalise Raghuvnash Prasad in the party.

On the other hand, Rama Singh said he was all set to join the RJD on June 29. “I will be joining the RJD on June 29. That is confirmed,” he said.

Asked about the resignation of Raghuvansh Prasad from the party’s post apparently in protest against his induction in the party, Singh said it was just a ploy by the veteran leader to play pressure politics. “There are many good reasons why Singh is annoyed with my induction in the RJD. But it would not matter as I am a grass roots leader,” he said. He also scoffed at speculations that he or any of his family members could be given a RJD ticket from Mahnar in Vaishali. “I am not joining RJD with any conditions,” the former MP said.

Reacting to the reports of Raghuvansh Prasad Singh’s decision to step down, leader of opposition in Bihar assembly, Tejashwi Prasad Yadav said on Tuesday evening that he will soon meet the ailing senior RJD leader once the latter recovers.

“Raghuvansh ji is our guardian and nursed the RJD. He is very much in the party. I will soon meet him,” he said