In overnight drama, Tejashwi Yadav, other RJD leaders march to Raj Bhavan, stage sit-in
Tejashwi Yadav led a large group of RJD leaders and supporters to the Raj Bhavan at around 2.30 am on Thursday, attempting to storm the governor’s official residence.
Tejashwi Yadav, the man at the heart of the Bihar crisis, did everything he could to stonewall Nitish Kumar’s return as the chief minister.
In an overnight high drama, Tejashwi led a large group of RJD leaders and supporters to the Raj Bhavan at around 2.30 am on Thursday, attempting to storm the governor’s official residence in a bid to stake claim to form the government.
The RJD group included Tejashwi’s brother Tej Pratap, ten other former ministers in the Nitish cabinet and more than 50 party legislators.
They were pushed back by the strong security contingent.
“Let them arrest us, if they so dare,” Tejashwi told reporters at the Raj Bhavan gate.
“This is murder of democracy,” added RJD chief Lalu Prasad’s son, facing corruption charges in a land-for-hotel deal.
“The governor had agreed to receive an UPA delegation staking claim to power at 11, but has now backed out,” Tejashwi said even as party legislators jostled with policemen.
He proceeded to stage a sit-in demonstration in front of the Raj Bhavan.
“We are not going to buckle or leave the fight.... This is backstabbing of the people of Bihar and our mandate to rule. This is plain dictatorship,” Tejashwi was heard telling his supporters while rallying them to be at the Raj Bhawan and resist “the illegal takeover of the government by the BJP”.
Hordes of RJD supporters joined a march from Rabri Devi’s official residence at 10, Circular Road to the Raj Bhavan, barely three furlongs away and close to Nitish Kumar’s chief ministerial residence at 1, Aney Marg.
Lalu Yadav, who was in Ranchi for appearance in a fodder scam case, accused Nitish Kumar of being an “opportunist”.
Sources in the RJD camp said Lalu spoke to JD-U leader Sharad Yadav, who is said to be cut up with the party decision to break the grand alliance.
The RJD was banking on 16 Yadav and Muslim legislators in the JD(U) to break away from Nitish and stay away from the NDA grouping and pitch in for what Lalu claims is a secular alliance.
With Congress calling for black day protests, the UPA combine is pitching hard to take the issue to the people.
The RJD has 80 members in the Bihar house of 243 legislators, besides 27 of the Congress, 3 CPI-ML and four independent members who voted for the BJP in support of President Ram Nath Kovind, a former Bihar governor.
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