The Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD)'s national executive meeting in Delhi was marred by the emergence of internal fault lines within the party, prompting Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav to appeal to party leaders to not allow personal differences to "dilute" the larger goal of defeating the BJP in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
According to a report by the Indian Express, such was the din that RJD supremo Lalu Prasad Yadav, who attended the meeting along with veteran leader Sharad Yadav, warned party leaders against speaking out of turn and asserted that only Tejashwi would comment on matters related to the party's policies and other important issues.
Lalu's comments came as his elder son Tej Pratap Yadav left the meeting red-faced with an outburst against RJD leader Shyam Rajak, who he accused of using abusive language.
"When he was asked about the timing of the event, Shyam Rajak abused my PA and my sister. I will make the audio clip public and show how such RSS people have been given positions in the organisation. I am not going to listen to abuse," Tej Pratap told the media as he left the meeting.
Rajak, for his part, said, "I am a Dalit. I can only listen, not speak out against powerful people," before reporting unwell and being admitted to a private hospital.
Tej Pratap's outburst added to the woes of the RJD, which was already strained due to the absence of Bihar unit president Jagadanand Singh from the meeting.
Singh's son, Sudhakar, refused to comment on why his father was absent, saying that it was best left to the party's spokesperson.
Against this backdrop, both Lalu and Tejashwi tried to calm the dissonance within the party, remining leaders that their ultimate goal was to defeat the BJP in the 2024 general elections.
"Perhaps I may not be able to keep everyone happy, or it is also possible that I may not be happy with everyone. But in the larger challenge and struggle, all of us, all of you sitting here, are together. I may not like someone, someone may not like me. This is human nature. But I want to appeal with folded hands to everyone, those sitting here and elsewhere, please do not let the agenda get diluted or changed. We are going to fight a big battle in 2024. We need everyone’s cooperation. Our fight is to save the country. Small differences force us to get defensive instead of attacking," Tejashwi said, appealing to leaders for internal unity.
In a swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, he said while the BJP leader was the first one in 75 years to rise from a tea shop to the highest executive office in the country, in his years years of rule those with engineering and other degrees were forced to work at tea shops.
The country is being destroyed and the constitution of the RSS is being imposed, he alleged.
Calling for unity among non-BJP parties, he said all opposition parties and leaders have to set aside their egos and personal interests to fight the ruling party.
The Bihar Deputy CM also urged leaders to be "fearless" against the onslaught of central agencies, saying, "We want to tell our friends in the Opposition, don’t be scared, don’t lose hope, we shall fight and win. We are working on it… There are cases against our entire family. ED, CBI, all agencies are being misused to lodge cases. Any leader who speaks out is facing ED, CBI, income tax."
RJD Rajya Sabha MP Manoj Jha, meanwhile, said that the national executive meeting saw discussions on important issues such as the political situation in the country, the economy, as well as foreign policy.
Jha added that RJD leadership feels that the Opposition can offer an effective alternative to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his government by taking up issues that adversely affect the masses.
"There will be discussions on issues. Modi’s alternative are issues. Should Modi’s alternative be a bigger Modi or issues that affect our lives? It is not about replacing a bottle of shampoo with another," Jha asserted.
(With PTI inputs)