RJD Lashes Out At Pappu Yadav For His Remark On CM Candidate For Bihar Polls
Patna: RJD on Tuesday took umbrage at Independent MP Rajesh Ranjan aka Pappu Yadav over his remark on CM candidate of the INDIA bloc, and reaffirmed that the party leader Tejashwi Yadav would be the alliance`s face in Bihar polls.
Virtually stirring a hornet’s nest, Pappu proposed names of state Congress president Rajesh Ram and party MP Tariq Anwar as the probable chief ministerial candidate of the INDIA bloc. His remark came after a meeting of Congress leaders at the party`s Indira Bhawan headquarters in New Delhi on Monday. Pappu also participated in the meeting for the first time.
Congress has not declared RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav as the chief ministerial candidate for the assembly polls unambiguously but he heads a coordination committee of the INDIA bloc`s allies for the state assembly polls. Recently, Congress MP and former state party president Akhilesh Prasad Singh had endorsed the name of Tejashwi as the chief ministerial candidate.
Reacting to Pappu`s statement, RJD MP Sudhakar Singh asserted that all parties would contest the elections together as preparations for the joint campaign at every level were almost complete. He claimed that the electoral battle was aimed at saving Bihar and not fighting to capture power, adding that it would not solve Bihar`s core issues. “Whoever supports the INDIA bloc will always be welcomed by us. But if someone tries to create confusion, we will certainly not welcome that,” he remarked, in a veiled attack on Pappu.
On Pappu attending the Congress meeting, RJD chief spokesperson Shakti Yadav said, “What’s he doing in our courtyard? The INDIA bloc`s allies are united under Tejashwi ji’s leadership. We don't take seriously the remarks of someone who is just a special invitee to another party.”
When asked whether Congress should avoid inviting Pappu Yadav to its meetings, he said, “Our tradition is to respect anyone who comes to our door. But how long can you keep entertaining someone? He doesn’t even have a party. He’s an Independent MP. His statements are often indirectly helping the BJP.”
“Tejashwi ji is the accepted leader of Bihar. One person’s comments change nothing.” he asserted.
Pappu Yadav had earlier met Congress MP and Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi and Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge at the party headquarters in Delhi.
Pappu Yadav was recently not allowed by security guards to embark upon a vehicle carrying Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, Tejashwi and other senior INDIA bloc`s leaders during their march in the state capital against ongoing special intensive revision (SIR) of the electoral rolls.
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