Bihar politics: Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) national vice-president and former Union minister Devendra Prasad Yadav on Wednesday resigned from the primary membership of the party, protesting the "import" of candidates to the detriment of "committed workers".
Yadav tendered his resignation through a strongly worded letter addressed to RJD president Lalu Prasad.
'Anguish over the selection of candidates'
Yadav expressed anguish over the selection of candidates in "at least half a dozen seats", including Jhanjharpur, a constituency he has represented five times. Despite his history with the constituency, it has been allocated to the ally Vikassheel Insan Party (VIP) of former Bihar minister Mukesh Sahni.
"Had candidates been brought from some other like-minded party, it would have been fine with me. But I feel suffocated to see people parachuting from parties known for promoting communalism," alleged the veteran leader.
The allusion was to Suman Kumar Mahaseth, a former BJP MLC whom VIP has named as its candidate from Jhanjharpur. Additionally, Yadav alleged that this development highlighted how, for the RJD, politics had become solely about the quest for power.
(With PTI inputs)
Also Read: RJD promises 1 crore jobs, OPS in its manifesto 'Parivartan Patra' for Lok Sabha polls