Within an hour of taking over as Speaker, Meira Kumar issued her first directive in Lok Sabha on Wednesday, asking the House reporters to expunge certain exchanges between Janata Dal-United chief Sharad Yadav and Rashtriya Janata Dal supremo Lalu Prasad. When Prasad was speaking to congratulate Kumar, he made certain statements which were objected to by Yadav.
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Monday accused the opposition RJD-Congress combine of failing to curb communal clashes in the state while they were in power. He alleged that they "sought votes of Muslims" but did nothing to stop the violence. Kumar, who has been in power since 2005, highlighted the Bhagalpur riots of 1989, which he said were a result of "bad law and order" during the previous government's tenure. He praised the BJP-led central government for its support to Bihar and the recent budget, which he said had many announcements for the state.
Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh will meet Samajwadi Party leader Mulayam Singh Yadav, Rashtriya Janata Dal chief Lalu Prasad and Janata Dal-United leader Sharad Yadav on Tuesday morning over the Women's Reservation Bill.
BJP-led NDA gave five seats to the Chirag Paswan-led LJP (Ram Vilas).
Speculation is rife in Bihar about Chief Minister Nitish Kumar potentially moving to the Rajya Sabha, leading to discussions about a possible BJP chief minister and a role for Kumar's son, Nishant. Senior BJP leaders have dismissed the rumours.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi asserted that the record turnout in the first phase of the Bihar assembly polls indicates people's trust in the NDA government. He predicted victory for the NDA, led by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, and lauded the Election Commission for conducting successful elections.
In a tweet in Hindi, Lalu said, "Met the country's senior most socialist friend Shri Mulayam Singhji and enquired about his wellbeing. We have common concerns and fight about farmers, inequality, the poor and the unemployed."
Following their landslide victory in the Bihar assembly polls, NDA leaders have begun discussions on forming a new government. Key coalition partners visited Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's residence, expressing support for his continued leadership. The article also touches on political developments within the RJD and reactions to the election results.
Kumar, who is now heading an alliance government in Bihar which includes the Rashtriya Janata Dal, the Congress and the Left, has reached out to leaders like Arvind Kejriwal, Mamata Banerjee, Akhilesh Yadav, all of whom are opposed to the BJP but not very comfortable with the grand old party either.
'When the time comes, we will take a decision following a discussion with the alliance partners.'
Rashtriya Janata Dal president Lalu Prasad Yadav's daughter Rohini Acharya on Sunday charged cohorts of her brother Tejashwi Yadav with accusing her of donating a 'bad' kidney to her father, 'in exchange for crores of rupees and a party ticket'.
Senior BJP leaders, including Amit Shah and J P Nadda, met with party leaders and allies to discuss the upcoming Bihar polls. Seat-sharing arrangements with NDA partners are expected to be announced soon.
Wednesday's joint protest march in Patna marked a significant moment, with Rahul Gandhi, the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, and Tejashwi Yadav, the Leader of Opposition in the Bihar assembly, leading a unified demonstration -- perhaps a first in the state's recent political history.
The former deputy chief minister was replying to queries about the JD-U president's outburst inside the assembly on Tuesday where he had told Yadav, "It was I who helped your father Lalu Prasad, the RJD president, become the leader of opposition when he did not have the support of even his own caste men."
When pressed further, as to whether the doors were still open for the former ally, Prasad, who has known Kumar since their days as student leaders in the 1970s, replied "these are always open (khula hi rahta hai)".
Rashtriya Janata Dal supremo Lalu Prasad challenged Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Tuesday to explain who is secular in the National Democratic Alliance. Lalu's comment came following Kumar's statement that the NDA should declare its prime ministerial candidate in advance and that the candidate should be a secular.
The swearing-in ceremony was attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, BJP national president J P Nadda and several other top leaders of the NDA.
Rashtriya Janata Dal supremo Lalu Prasad on Tuesday accused the Nitish Kumar government of "avoiding" recommendations to the Centre for a Central Bureau of Investigation probe into the killing of Ranvir Sena Supremo B ahmeshwar Singh Mukhiya on June 1 in Bhojpur district.
The protesters led by the state unit Bharatiya Janata Party chief C P Thakur burnt the effigy of the prime minister at the busy Dak Bungalow roundabout.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi jokingly mentioned ongoing discussions with RJD president Lalu Prasad regarding marriage, following a suggestion from Prasad's son to Union Minister Chirag Paswan.
Rashtriya Janata Dal supremo and former Bihar chief minister Lalu Prasad Yadav on Thursday said that only Shatrughan Sinha and Shahnawaz Hussain are secular leaders in the Bharatiya Janata Party.
He also accused Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar of daydreaming for trying to garner the support of the regional parties for Advani as PM.
The BJP and JDU leaders claimed that Prasad insulted women in the state with his comment.
Senior Congress leader Ashok Gehlot on Wednesday met Rashtriya Janata Dal president Lalu Prasad Yadav, apparently with the mandate to defuse tensions with the ally, which has plunged the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) into turmoil in poll-bound Bihar.
The RJD wrote on its X handle, in Hindi, "Just see how Chief Minister Nitish Kumar is pulling towards himself a woman in an objectionable manner with Home Minister Amit Shah looking on".
The Samajwadi Party on Thursday threatened to move court against Bharatiya Janata Party president Nitin Gadkari for his 'objectionable' comments against party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav and Rashtriya Janata Dal supremo Lalu Prasad. "Nitin Gadkari has used objectionable language against senior politicians like Mulayam Singh and Lalu Prasad. The kind of language used by him shows that though he represents a national party, he has a very narrow minded approach," said a SP leader.
In the forthcoming Lok Sabha polls, Union Railway Minister and Rashtriya Janata Dal supremo Lalu Prasad Yadav, who currently represents Chhapra, will contest from Saran. He is not actually changing his constituency because, after delimitation, the Chhapra seat has been rechristened as Saran, Yadav said on Sunday.Terming terrorism and communalism as twin sisters of evil, he said the 'communal' Bharatiya Janata Party and its allies would be trounced in the elections.
Rashtriya Janata Dal supremo Lalu Prasad on Tuesday challenged Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi to contest the state assembly elections against former chief minister Rabri Devi, who is contesting from two constituencies.
Confusion prevailing in the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) showed little signs of let up on Saturday, with just two days to go before the filing of nomination papers for the second and final phase of assembly elections comes to a close.
This is the first meeting between Gandhi and Kumar since the latter walked out of the National Democratic Alliance in Bihar and formed a 'Mahagathbandhan' government with the Rashtriya Janata Dal, the Congress and outside support of the Left.
Rashtriya Janata Dal supremo Lalu Prasad on Thursday hit back at Nitin Gadkari for his derogatory remarks against him and Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav, saying the Bharatiya Janata Party president has gone 'mentally bankrupt'. "We will first try to give Gadkari tablets to cure his mental bankruptcy, then put him on capsules and if the tablets and capsules fail, we will put him on injection," Prasad told a press conference in Patna.
Narayan has been charged with flouting quota norms and other government rules in allocating 12 PDS shops in 1996 and 17 in 1997 when Lalu was Bihar chief minister.
With top BJP leaders declaring Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi fit for prime minister's post, Rashtriya Janata Dal supremo Lalu Prasad on Monday asked Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar to clarify his stand on the issue.
Internal discord within the INDIA bloc has led to alliance partners contesting against each other in at least eight assembly seats in Bihar. The Congress, RJD, and Left parties are facing challenges in seat-sharing arrangements for the upcoming elections.
Contrary to repots about former Bihar chief minister Rabri Devi giving up politics, the wife of Rashtriya Janata Dal supremo Lalu Prasad has decided to contest the state assembly elections from not one but two constituencies -- Raghopur and Sonepur.Two months ago, it was widely reported that Rabri Devi may bid adieu to active politics after her husband Lalu Prasad declared himself the RJD's chief ministerial candidate for the assembly polls.
An excerpt from a new book reveals the behind-the-scenes story of how Rabri Devi unexpectedly became the Chief Minister of Bihar in 1997, replacing Lalu Prasad Yadav.
Former Bihar chief minister and Rashtriya Janata Dal supremo Lalu Prasad on Tuesday appeared before a special Central Bureau of Investigation court, which recorded his statement in connection with a fodder scam case. The court of Pravas Kumar Singh recorded the statements in the case pertaining to alleged fraudulent withdrawal of nearly Rs 37.7 crore from Chaibasa treasury between 1992 and 1995. Lalu faces charges in six fodder cases -- five in Ranchi and one in Patna.
SSP, Patna, Kundan Krishnan's revelation on Wednesday that a criminal gang, enjoying patronage of a BJP MLA in UP, was in possession of the child has sparked off a blamegame.
Foot-in-the-mouth seems to be a common syndrome afflicting many politicians who find it too tough to be politically correct all the time.
