NEW DELHI, 17 April — With investigating agencies set to file charges against former Bihar Chief Minister Laloo Prasad Yadav, the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief is likely to get rid of the party’s working president in order to retain power even if he goes to jail.
“Pressure is building on the RJD chief from his loyalists to remove Ranjan Yadav from the post of working president because he would automatically command the party if Laloo is sent to jail,” sources close to the RJD leader said. Ranjan is known to lead the dissidents in the RJD and should he get the reins of the party, Laloo’s opponents would then rally around him, the sources said.
Sources in the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) said the agency is likely to file charge against Laloo this week in the fodder scam case. Dissidents in the party say if Laloo is sent to jail, they will also attempt to remove his wife, Rabri Devi, as chief minister of the state. ??
On his part, Ranjan is playing his cards close to his chest. ‘‘Please wait and let Laloo take action against me. I will then decide what to do and announce my moves.’’
Laloo is also attempting to consolidate his position outsidie the party. Recently, he attended the marriage of the relative of a legislator belonging to the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP). The BSP has off and on threatened to withdraw support to the Rabri government.
Laloo also scored success by winning over RJD member of Parliament, Muhammad Shahabuddin, who was said to be in the dissident camp. Meanwhile, Laloo’s think tank has been working on a plan to evolve a new caste equation before taking action against Ranjan — upper castes, Muslims and the Yadavas left in his camp. In this regard there is a proposal to bring in Excise Minister Shivanand Tiwari as the new working president, in a message to the upper castes.
