Tejashwi named RJD Legislature party leader
2 Dec 2015 4:11 AM IST
Lalu Prasad’s son and Bihar’s Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav was on Monday named the leader of the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) legislature party in the new state Assembly, a decision slammed by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) as an “open display of dynastic politics”.
Prasad, who was authorised by the RJD legislature party earlier to take the decision, nominated Tejashwi, a first-time MLA from Raghopur seat in Vaishali, as the RJD Legislature Party leader in the Assembly, his close aide and MLA Bhola Yadav said.
The RJD chief’s wife Rabri Devi will head the legislature party of the bicameral body. Rabri Devi is the member of the state Legislative Council.
Experts opine that Tejashwi’s appointment highlights the RJD chief’s efforts to guide his younger son to become his heir apparent. After the recent Assembly polls, the RJD emerged as the single largest party with 80 members in the 243-member Bihar Assembly.
Tejashwi’s appointment drew stinging remarks from the BJP. BJP Legislature party leader Prem Kumar, who is also the leader of the opposition, told reporters: “It is an open display of dynastic politics.”
“The nation has seen Lalu Prasad playing dynastic politics during the 15-year-rule of RJD in the state from 1990 to 2005 and the same is continuing now,” Prem Kumar said.
“Lalu Prasad believes only in ‘parivarwad’ (dynastic politics) and not in ‘Loktantra’ (democracy),” he said.
Tejashwi Yadav hit back at BJP, saying “when people have accepted us (he and his brother Tej Pratap Yadav) and elected us why is BJP finding fault?”
“I am aware of my huge responsibility and will try to perform to the best of my capacity,” he told reporters.
“If BJP finds fault in my performance it has every right to criticise me,” he said.
Former Chief Minister and Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM) leader Jitan Ram Manjhi described the appointment as “internal matter of RJD”.
“There is no bar on appointment of son of a politician to any post as per rules and we should not make personal comment on anybody,” Manjhi told reporters.
On Tejashwi Yadav’s “lack of experience”, Manjhi said, “Let’s see him working for 1-2 months, then judge him.”
26-year-old Tejashwi Yadav sat next to Chief Minister Nitish Kumar in the 16th Legislative Assembly which met for the first time on Monday after elections.
MLAs could not take oath due RLSP MLA’s death
Patna: The newly elected legislators of the Bihar Legislative Assembly on Monday could not take the oath on the opening day of the new House due to the death of Rashtriya Lok Samta Party (RLSP) MLA Basant Kumar. As the House assembled, protem speaker Sadanand Singh said Kumar died of heart attack in Patna. The MLAs expressed grief on Kumar’s demise.
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