Janata Dal (United) national president Rajiv Ranjan Singh alias Lalan Singh on December 28 accused the opposition BJP of setting the narrative of his removal from the top post of the party.
Mr. Singh issued the statement hours before attending the national executive committee meeting of the JD(U) at the party office near Jantar Mantar in New Delhi. Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and other senior leaders of the party also attended the meeting.
For the past few days, there was a buzz that a decision would be made to remove Mr. Singh from the top post during the meeting and Mr. Kumar himself will take over the post as part of the coming Lok Sabha polls strategy.
When journalists asked him about his resignation from the post of national president of the party, Mr. Singh said, “When the time of my resignation will come, I will call the media and take their advice. You all can get the draft of my resignation from the BJP office. The BJP is setting the narrative and the management of the media is just running the news accordingly. It is a national executive and national council meeting but you people are setting the narrative of my resignation.”
‘We are united’
He further said the JD(U) was united and would remain united no matter whatever narratives were set against him and the party. After issuing the statement, he met Mr. Kumar at his residence 6, K. Kamraj Lane and the meeting lasted between two leaders for more than an hour.
Earlier in the day Mr. Kumar did not speak when asked about Mr. Singh’s resignation during the meeting. Mr. Kumar said it was an annual affair of holding the meeting of the national executive committee and the national council.
“This is a routine meeting which takes place every year and there is nothing specific at all,” Mr. Kumar said in Patna before going to Delhi.
Mr. Kumar however did not respond to two specific questions, one related to Mr. Singh’s resignation and second returning to the BJP fold.
The same question was asked to Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav who was accompanying Mr. Kumar.
“I wonder what is so strange about a regional party holding its meeting in the national capital and how many times we all need to give clarification of such issues. As far as meeting is concerned, even, we [RJD] did last year at Talkatora Stadium,” Mr. Yadav said.
Before the meeting could start in Delhi, senior BJP leader and Union Minister Giriraj Singh too reacted to the rumour of Mr. Singh’s resignation.
“One should not be surprised if Nitish shows the door to Lalan Singh and removes him from the post of national president. In the past as well, Nitish has done this by showing doors to George Fernandes, Sharad Yadav and RCP Singh,” Mr. Giriraj Singh said.
Asked about Mr. Kumar returning to the BJP fold, Mr. Giriraj Singh said, “The BJP has closed all doors, windows and holes for Nitish Kumar. At present he has only two options, either merge his party into the RJD or hand over the post of Chief Minister to Lalu Prasad’s son Tejashwi Yadav. If Nitish will not do so then Lalu ji as a seasoned politician will not mind forming his own government by breaking JD(U) MLAs and notifying them as RJD MLAs with the help of Awadh Bihari Choudhary, who is the RJD MLA and Speaker of the Bihar Assembly.”
Interestingly, both Mr. Kumar and Mr. Lalan Singh reached the party office near Jantar Mantar together in the same car to attend the meeting. The meeting ended within half an hour. Now, all eyes will be on the national council meeting which will be held at the Constitution Club on Friday in which many political decisions would be taken.
