Bihar rebellion may split JD again
Tara Shankar Sahay in New Delhi
With its Bihar unit virtually raising a banner of revolt, the Janata Dal appears to be heading for yet another split.
Camping at the Bihar Bhavan in New Delhi, irate JD members levelled several allegations against party president Sharad Yadav. They said the state unit recently passed a resolution against Yadav for his alleged violation of the party constitution.
While Yadav's supporters blamed vested interests for the ''rebellion'', sources said Union Information and Broadcasting Minister and party spokesman S Jaipal Reddy was backing the rebels.
Among the decisions which drew the rebels's flak was the appointment of 20 party vice-presidents, 36 general secretaries and 49 secretaries as against the permitted five vice-presidents, one secretary general, one treasure, 10 general secretaries and 10 secretaries.
The Bihar unit members also challenged Yadav's decision to form a core group at the national level. ''There is no such provision in the party constitution,'' said JD leader Lachchman Paswan. ''Don't be surprised if the superfluous appointments are challenged in court.''
The rebels would take the extreme step only if their talks with the party president fail. The latter, however, is reluctant to meet the aggrieved partymen and is understood to have assigned JD general secretary Mohan Prakash to defuse the crisis.
Sources said Mohan Prakash has not been able to make contact with the Bihar partymen who seem adamant about their agitation against Sharad Yadav. This is music to former Bihar chief minister and Rashtriya Janata Dal president Laloo Prasad Yadav.
Laloo Yadav, an accused in the Rs 9.5 billion fodder scam, is still in jail. But he manages to get wind of every political development in the state, thanks to his wife, Chief Minister Rabri Devi who visits him daily.
Laloo Yadav, who formed his breakaway RJD largely because of his tussle with Sharad Yadav, has reportedly told his followers that the JD president has got too ambitious and that nemesis was fast catching up with the latter.
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