Even as the Special (CBI) Court decides on the quantum of punishment for RJD chief lalu Prasad and 44 others in a fodder scam case on Thursday, the party has called a meeting of senior leaders on October 5-6 to draw up a strategy to overcome the leadership crisis.
The RJD chief’s better half Rabri Devi will preside over the meeting and decide on constituting a committee which will be empowered to take decisions for the party in absence of lalu.
“A meeting of senior party leaders has been called on October 5-6 in Patna where a committee will be formed headed by Rabri ji to take decisions on the future strategy of the party for the forthcoming lok Sabha elections, till laluji comes out of jail,” said one of lalu’s close aides Bhola Prasad Singh. “The RJD is intact and there is no murmuring in the party on the issue of leadership,” he added.
The party will be run smoothly under the leadership of Rabri Devi on the lines of the policies and principles decided by lalu ji,” said Singh.
He said that it is clearly understood that this is a political case in which lalu ji has been framed and reiterated that he will be proved innocent in the higher courts very soon.
lalu however, is said to have passed a message from the jail that all the party workers should now consider themselves as lalu and take the party forward with their wisdom.
“lalu ji has also directed us to return to the constituencies and work harder for the coming lok Sabha elections,” said another RJD leader Suresh Paswan.
“The conspirators against lalu took into consideration only the negative aspect of sending him to jail while they could not think of its positive impact upon the party,” he said. lalu ji will emerge stronger after he comes out of jail as people are really angry this time,” said Paswan.
Meanwhile, shifting the locus of party activities to Ranchi, top party leaders as well as advocates are waiting eagerly for Thursday’s judgment of the CBI court on the basis of which they will move further to the high court. “Only after getting the copy of the judgment we can evaluate the future course of action on the legal front,” said one of his advocates Prabhat Kumar.