Rashtriya Janata Dal leader Maheshwar Prasad Yadav on Monday demanded that the party’s Leader of the Opposition Tejashwi Yadav should resign on moral grounds after their resounding defeat in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, PTI reported.
Maheshwar Prasad Yadav said that a senior leader from the party should assume the role instead of Tejashwi Yadav. He also alleged that parivarwad or family politics will cost the party and that it will ultimately split up.
“I would request Tejashwi Yadav to resign from his post of LOP [Leader of the Opposition] taking moral responsibility of the Lok Sabha poll debacle and appoint any other senior party leader hailing from a caste other than Yadav to the post of LOP, failing which the party will have to face crushing defeat in 2020 assembly elections,” he said.
His revolt comes a day before the party is supposed to meet to discuss the Lok Sabha election results. He also claimed that the party will break if his demand to appoint someone else is not fulfilled.
Maheshwar Prasad Yadav is the first leader to publicly denounce former Chief Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav and his younger son Tejashwi Yadav, IANS reported. He placed the blame on both of them for the party’s dismal performance in the elections.
In Bihar, the mahagathbandhan or grand alliance – comprising the Congress, Rashtriya Janata Dal, Lok Samata Party, Hindustani Awam Morcha, and Vikassheel Insaan Party – was able to retain only one seat in Kishanganj in the recently concluded Lok Sabha elections.
Yadav also claimed he had the support of certain party leaders who did not want to be associated with the current leadership. He claimed to be supported by two-third of the party to avoid disqualification under anti-defection law, PTI reported. He also refused to attend the party meeting on Tuesday unless his demand is met.
Bihar contributes to 40 seats in the Lok Sabha. This is the first time that the Rashtriya Janata Dal will not have a single member in the Lok Sabha. In 2014, the party won four seats.
The Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance swept the polls in Bihar. The BJP-Janata Dal (United)-Lok Janshakti Party coalition bagged 39 out of the 40 seats in the Lok Sabha elections.
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