Taslimuddin resigns from RJD

A bahubali (muscleman-turned-politician) of Seemanchal in the eastern Bihar, Taslimuddin shot to fame when he was inducted as Union minister of state for home in the United Front government led by Deve Gowda in 1996. But once Gowda came to know about his murky past, Taslimuddin was dropped.

The influential Muslim face of the RJD saw a reversal of fortune in 2004 when he was inducted into the Manmohan Singh government as Sharad Pawar’s deputy.

Having trounced BJP stalwart Shahnawaz Hussain from Kishanganj in 2004, Taslimuddin was appointed Union minister of state for agriculture and consumer affairs. He, however, lost to Congress’s Asrarul Haq in May 2009. Since then, he has been nursing grudges against his party chief. Speculation is rife that he may join the Janata Dal (United) on September 6.

Earlier, Lalu’s close associates—Shivanand Tiwary, Bhola Singh, Capt Jainarain Nishad and Shyam Razak—had deserted the RJD’s sinking ship and joined the Nitish bandwagon.