Rashtriya Janata Dal head and jailed former Bihar chief minister Lalu Prasad Yadav seems to be exploring the option of reviving the alliance with Nitish Kumar’s Janata Dal (United) after sensing a chink in the ruling coalition over the ‘snoop’ order on Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) office-bearers.
Last week, Lalu’s son Tejashwi Yadav and senior RJD leader Shivanand Tiwari separately met the party chief at a Ranchi jail, in the wake of the party’s humiliating defeat in the general elections this year. Both signalled the latter’s willingness to revive the ‘Mahagathbandhan’.
After his first meeting with father Lalu since the poll results, Tejashwi told mediapersons in Ranchi, “We will fight the next assembly polls with the Grand Alliance and form the government.”
However, Tejashwi didn’t clarify whether the alliance he was talking about meant the one that fought the 2015 assembly elections — when ruling JD(U) was also a part of it — or the one that came up earlier this year, when smaller parties joined the RJD and the Congress. After the assembly polls in the state, the JD(U) mended ties with old ally Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and left the Grand Alliance.
Tiwari was more forthcoming. “Lalu ji is keeping a close watch over the developments arising out of the (RSS snooping) issue. The manner in which BJP leaders, particularly Union minister Giriraj Singh, have openly criticised and arm twisted Nitish is deplorable,” Tiwari told.