Lalu's projection of Tejashwi as CM face divides RJD

The assertion by RJD chief Lalu Prasad that his youngest son Tejashwi Yadav could be the party's chief ministerial candidate in the next Assembly elections has left many senior leaders red-faced.

Though the Assembly polls in Bihar are slated for 2020, the political grapevine has it that it could be held along with the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.

"Compared to us, Tejashwi is far ahead in terms of leadership, oratory and competence," said Lalu, dwelling at length on why he chose Tejashwi to be the RJD face in the next Assembly elections.

Tejashwi, who turned 28 on November 9, was Bihar deputy chief minister when the Grand Alliance under Nitish's leadership was in power for 20 months from November 2015 to July 2017. Currently, he is the Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly. But his credentials suffered when he was named an accused in the land-for-hotels scam which took place when Lalu was railway minister in UPA-I.

"It's the people and the elected representatives who will decide about the next chief minister. Any projection at this juncture has no meaning," said RJD vice-president and former Union minister Raghuvansh Prasad Singh.

Singh is not the first senior leader who has struck a discordant note. Earlier, senior RJD leader and former Leader of the Opposition Abdul Bari Siddiqui had raised similar concern. "There are many competent people in the the RJD. Any A, B, C or D can become chief minister if the party is voted to power," said Siddiqui, who was finance minister in the Nitish Cabinet till July this year.