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Journalism of Courage
Upset at the frequent jibes in his direction by RJD leader Tej Pratap Yadav, the party’s Bihar president Jagdanand Singh has submitted his resignation. RJD chief Lalu Prasad is yet to accept Singh’s resignation, and both he and Leader of the Opposition Tejashwi Yadav have been trying to persuade the veteran leader to withdraw the same.
Singh (75) is a known loyalist of Lalu and has brought in several organisational reforms since he was named the state RJD chief, including a system of political workers seeking appointment to meet senior party functionaries. He was also one of key strategists of RJD’s 2020 poll campaign and has been credited with providing vital inputs on ticket distribution and maintaining social combinations.
The fact that an upper caste Rajput leader was given such an important position in the party was also taken as a bid to mollify upper caste voters after the RJD’s opposition to the EWS quota.
However, on a function on July 5 marking the RJD’s foundation day, Tej Pratap had indirectly targeted Singh, saying he was not bound to listen to “anyone’s diktats”.
Singh himself has refused to confirm or deny whether he has submitted his resignation. When asked, he said, “I am not going to react. Media may write what it wants.”
When directly asked whether he resigned because of Tej Pratap, Singh said, “Media cannot extract a reply from him.”
A source close to Singh told The Indian Express, “Jagdanand Singh had agreed to become RJD state president only for a year till the last Assembly elections on the request of Lalu Prasad…Tej Pratap Yadav could have been more respectful to the veteran leader.”
Another RJD leader said, “The age factor could also be a reason (for Singh’s resignation). He has been asking Lalu Prasad to relieve him for a long time. But Tej Pratap’s frequent jibes could be the trigger for his decision.”
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