Barely two months after the RJD’s worst parliamentary efficiency in additional than a decade, with its seat depend dropping to 25 from 80 in 2020, the celebration on Sunday appointed Tejashwi Prasad Yadav as its nationwide working president, elevating him to the second strongest place within the group after celebration president Lalu Prasad.
The choice to advertise Tejashwi was taken unanimously at an RJD nationwide government assembly attended by senior leaders together with former chief minister Rabri Devi and Pataliputra MP Misa Bharati. The proposal to nominate Tejashwi was moved by Lal’s trusted aide Bohra Yadav and was accepted with out objection.
Tejashwi can even proceed to function the Chief of Opposition (LoP) within the Bihar Meeting, however shall be steering celebration politics in his new position as Lal has been largely inactive on account of well being causes. That is the primary time Tejashwi, 36, has held an official place within the group since he entered politics about 15 years in the past.
LoP accepted the accountability and stated he was “overwhelmed” by the boldness it had given him. “I’ve been energetic as a politician for almost 15 years, however I’ve by no means held an organizational position.I need to fulfill the heavy accountability that has been given to me,” he stated.
In a brief speech, Lalu Prasad appealed to celebration leaders to firmly help his youthful son. “Tejashwi has labored very exhausting. Thanks to everybody who has supported him. Please proceed to help him,” he stated.
Tejashwi echoed the views of senior chief Abdul Bari Siddiqui, referring to the celebration’s failure within the 2025 parliamentary elections. “Beeti taahi bisariye, aage to sudhi ley” (Beeti taahi bisariye, aage to sudhi ley), he stated, including that after the finances session, which begins on February 2, he would journey to all constituencies to fulfill defeated celebration leaders and candidates and hearken to their issues. He concluded with the optimistic phrases, “Hun honge kamyab (we will certainly overcome).”
Challenges earlier than Tejashwi
Tejashwi’s rapid political take a look at shall be to maintain the Mahagathbandhan intact, past rebuilding a demoralized cadre. The problem comes amid obvious unrest throughout the RJD’s primary ally, the Congress. Senior Bihar Congress chief Shakil Ahmad Khan has overtly requested the celebration excessive command to sever ties with the RJD, alleging that the alliance is curbing Congress’s development within the state.
Because the nationwide working president, Tejashwi shall be answerable for holding the Congress management in good spirits and making certain that smaller allies such because the Vikashir Insaan Get together (VIP) and the Indian Inclusive Get together (IIP) stay sufficiently motivated to stay throughout the opposition fold.
One other key problem earlier than Tejashwi is to reshape the RJD’s line of assault in opposition to the Nitish Kumar-led state authorities, each inside and out of doors the Congress. The celebration’s dominant argument in recent times that Chief Minister Nitish Kumar is not in energy has discovered no help, and it underperformed within the final meeting polls.
Get together leaders have privately acknowledged that Tejashwi might want to rethink his technique and provide you with a extra convincing, maybe unconventional, political case to regain misplaced floor.
Equally vital is the RJD’s problem of shedding its long-standing “MY” (Muslim-Yadav) tag. Because the celebration’s electoral base shrinks, the management faces strain to undertaking a extra assimilative model of politics, with its core Yadav help base showing to be extra tolerant of the extraordinarily backward courses (EBCs) and scheduled castes.
household feud continues
This elevation has additionally uncovered the rifts throughout the household which have sometimes surfaced in recent times. Lal’s youthful daughter Rohini Acharya, who has been at loggerheads with the celebration management since earlier than final 12 months’s meeting polls, was the primary to publicly voice her opposition.
In a put up to X in Hindi, Rohini described her brother’s promotion as “an excellent capstone to an illustrious political determine” and referred to her father. She congratulated Mr Tejashwi on changing into a “shehzada” (prince) and claimed that any longer he would operate as a “puppet within the arms of sycophants and conspirators”.
Rohini’s feedback highlighted the rivalry between the brothers that made headlines simply earlier than final 12 months’s elections. Whereas Tejashwi has emerged because the undoubted political inheritor and the principle face of the RJD, Rohini, who was at one time tipped to be a possible challenger within the Saran election, has accused celebration insiders of alienating her and diluting her father’s political legacy.
In distinction, Misa tried to downplay the household feud. “I’ve not learn what she (Rohini) stated. I want Tejashwi all the very best,” she stated. “It’s good that the celebration now has each a nationwide president and a nationwide working president. Mr. Tejashwi will work with renewed vigor to strengthen the celebration.”
