Ever since the two parties — JD(U) and RJD — faced humiliating defeat in the last lok Sabha polls, crisis has started haunting them as on Wednesday a JD(U) MlA resigned from party’s State executive committee and a senior RJD leader too declared to quit the party.
The crisis which was brewing in the JD(U) for the last three days now appeared to be deepening as party MlA from Kanti Assembly constituency in Muzaffarpur, Ajit Kumar, resigned from the State executive committee of the party. However, he said that he would remain in the party as a ‘worker’.
After meeting with party leader and former Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Wednesday morning, Ajit told mediapersons that he expressed his displeasure to Nitish over the way the party was functioning.
“Along with Nitish all the former Ministers of his Cabinet should have resigned but they remained in the Cabinet. All those loyal and dedicated workers have been ignored and sidelined at the cost of those who were earlier working against the party and abusing Nitish,” said Ajit.
He also said that now Nitish has to take decision over his displeasure to strengthen the party. He has sent his resignation letter to State party president Basistha Narayan Singh.
A few hours later, JD(U) leader and party spokesperson Sanjay Singh also resigned from his post. Singh, an MlC has sent his resignation to the State party chief too. Singh has been a familiar face while moving along with Nitish during poll campaigns and yatras across the State.
It is also said that Singh, who earlier was in Ram Vilas Paswan-led lok Janshkati Party, might quit the JD(U) to follow his future political ambitions, though, he has not confirmed yet on his next move.
Party sources said that Singh wanted to be a Minister in the Manjhi Cabinet, but he was ignored by the party leadership. “It’s all pressure tactics by these leaders to become Ministers in the Manjhi Cabinet as the State Assembly polls is scheduled just one-and-half years from now,” said a political observer.
Earlier, main face of party dissenters Neeraj Kumar returned to the State capital and held meeting with some party leaders to chalk out future course of their strategy.
“let me clear you all here that I do not want to become the Minister, but I am deeply hurt with the way now the party has started functioning,” said the JD(U) MlC.
Similarly, another disgruntled party MlA from Barh Assembly constituency Gyanendra Singh ‘Gyanu’ had earlier declared that over one-and-half dozen party legislators and leaders who have been feeling suffocated with the party’s functioning were with him. Gyanu had even shot letter to party chiefs to expel Rajiv Ranjan Singh ‘lallan’, who recently has been made Minister in the Manjhi Cabinet, from the party.
“I also want RCP Sinha, Sanjay Singh Gandhi and lallan Saraf to be expelled from the party,” said Gyanu. All these leaders are said to be members of the close circuit of Nitish.
Meanwhile, the dissent bug has also bitten lalu Prasad-led RJD as one of party’s senior leaders MAA Fatmi declared to resign from the party’s primary membership saying that the party was no longer in the hands of lalu.
Fatmi was an RJD candidate from Darbhanga seat in the last parliamentary polls, but was defeated by BJP’s Kirti Jha Azad.
“Now, after the lok Sabha polls, party has gone out of lalu’s hands. Rajya Sabha member Prem Chand Gupta is now running the party and in this situation it is very difficult for a leader like me to be in the party,” said Fatmi.
“The advice of Gupta has caused party’s dismal performance in the polls,” Fatmi further accused.
He also accused an RJD leader and former Minister lalit Yadav, who comes from his constituency, of working against him in the last lok Sabha polls, “But despite bringing it into the notice of RJD chief no action was taken,” he rued.
Political sources, however, said that Fatmi may join the Congress in days to come, as recently he had a long meeting with senior Congress leader from the Mithilanchal region, Shakeel Ahmad. “It was after his meeting with the Congress leader that Fatmi decided to quit the RJD,” a party source said.
Political pundits of the State said that both the parties were currently facing the aftershocks of their complete rout in the lok Sabha polls and ‘such things would keep coming from them’.
“It’s a churning process for both the parties as losers have no takers. Difficult time, for sure, is ahead for both the parties," said one of them.