Big setback to Lalu Prasad as RJD Jharkhand chief Gautam Sagar Rana floats new party

In a big setback to Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Prasad, his party’s Jharkhand chief Gautam Sagar Rana floated new party Rashtriya Janata Dal Loktantrik (RJDL) on Sunday.   

"90 per cent of RJD Jharkhand cadre and I are upset with Lalu Prasad Yadav. There is no democracy left in RJD. We'll serve people of Jharkhand on our own," Gautam Sagar Rana, who was appointed to the post after state RJD chief Annapurna Devi left the party to join BJP ahead of Lok Sabha Elections 2019, said. 

Ranchi: RJD Jharkhand chief Gautam Sagar Rana along with other party members today formed Rashtriya Janata Dal Loktantrik. Rana says,"90% of RJD Jharkhand cadre & I are upset with Lalu Prasad Yadav. There is no democracy left in RJD. We'll serve people of Jharkhand on our own." pic.twitter.com/GVOeQyPGvr

— ANI (@ANI) June 23, 2019

Things are not going well in the RJD ever since results of Lok Sabha Elections were announced on May 23. The simmering discontent in the party came to the fore after a senior party legislator Maheshwar Prasad Yadav asked Tejashwi Yadav to resign from the post of Leader of Opposition taking moral responsibility of the drubbing.

Alleging that parivarwad (family politics) cost the party most, Yadav, RJD MLA from Gaighat assembly constituency in Muzaffarpur district, claimed the party will break if his demand is not fulfilled.

Maheshwar Prasad Yadav had warned the party leadership that legislature party will break if his demand is not fulfilled.

RJD is the second party of the five members mahagathbandhan to face the heat of resounding defeat in the hands of NDA in Bihar. Except for one seat of Kisanganj won by the Congress, the BJP, JD(U) and LJP combine bagged 39 out of a total 40 Lok Sabha seats in Bihar. Other than the RJD and the Congress, the Bihar mahagathbandhan consisted of the RLSP, HAM and VIP.

In a related development, Upendra Kushwaha led RLSPs three legislators - two MLAs and one MLC- merged with the JDU following the massive drubbings at the hustings.