Shortly after the Uttar Pradesh Assembly election results were declared, Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav passed on the political baton to his son Akhilesh.
Taking a leaf out of his Yadav brethren’s book, Lalu reportedly asked his younger son Tejaswi, a budding cricketer, to pad up for the new innings.
It was then proposed that during the 16th Foundation Day of the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) in July, Tejaswi would be formally appointed as chief of the Yuva RJD—the youth wing of the RJD. But Tejaswi’s coronation was reportedly put-off following simmering discontent within the party, where senior leaders accused Lalu for “still promoting his family” despite going through setbacks in the past.
Sources in the party said that of the four Lok Sabha members, three RJD MPs in private expressed their reservations over the ‘son-rise’ in the party. “First, Lalu foisted Rabri when he was sent to jail in fodder scam. In 2011, he named the party office in New Delhi as Rabri Bhawan. A few months back, Rabri was sent to the Upper House (Council) despite losing the Assembly polls from both the constituencies she contested.
She was “accommodated” overlooking the genuine claims of other dedicated leaders. Tejaswi’s coronation would have been the final nail in the RJD’s coffin,” a senior RJD leader, who did not wish to be identified said. He also explained why Lalu’s cricketer-son was asked not to don the neta’s mantle. “It’s true that Lalu still has the potential to give Nitish a run for his money. But someone should tell him that blood is not always thicker than sweat,” said another senior RJD leader who has served as the cabinet minister under Lalu as well as Rabri. “All we want is to send across a message that in this hour of crisis, Lalu should desist from taking suicidal steps,” he added, on the condition of anonymity.
