Lalu Prasad’s RJD on Thursday highlighted the need for a ”political front” to take on the BJP, which it accused of pursuing a divisive agenda and remaining oblivious to the need for social and economic progress. A resolution to the effect was passed here by the party at the meeting of its national executive which took place in presence of Prasad, the founding president, who had flown down from Delhi despite old age and poor health.
The meeting also sought to place a lid on speculations about Prasad replacing himself as the national president with younger son and heir apparent Tejashwi Yadav who was also present on the occasion. The former Bihar chief minister, who controls the party with the help of his family, has repeatedly sought to scotch such speculations.
The matter, though, is likely to hang in balance till October 11 when, the party has resolved, the national president’s election will take place at an ”open session” of the RJD which will be held in Delhi. The resolution, which ran into several pages, painted a grim picture of the country’s political situation, on both domestic and international fronts, and called for ”formation of a front committed to secularism and socialism”.
Notably, the RJD was a staunch ally of the Congress when the UPA was in power. In the state, however, the two parties have frequently squabbled. Outside Bihar, the RJD has openly supported parties like TMC in West Bengal and SP in Uttar Pradesh, states where the Congress is struggling to find its feet. It was, however, not clear whether by exhorting the people to ”make a meaningful political intervention”, the RJD was hinting at willingness to back a formation that was opposed to BJP but not helmed by Congress.
”BJP believes in values espoused by RSS and its ideologues like V D Savarkar who stood for the two-nation theory which set the tone for partition of the country. It also seeks to replace Ambedkar’s egalitarian ideals with a Manuvadi agenda,” said the RJD. The party, which draws its support base from primarily the OBCs, also slammed the Modi government for refusing to conduct caste census ”childishly citing problems in collating data”.
It attacked the government for economic measures like farm laws and demonetisation and accused it of playing in the hands of big business by privatisation of public sector undertakings. The RJD also said ”even the most unreservedly capitalist countries do realise the need for unemployment doles. This government is callous enough to turn a blind eye despite rampant joblessness”.
The party also accused Modi of harming India’s international standing ”despite undertaking 110 tours of 60 countries”. It alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had made his country a ”laughing stock” by supporting re-election as US President of Donald Trump who ultimately got voted out.
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