Speechless, says Lalu on close aide Raghuvansh's death

Jailed RJD supremo Lalu Prasad Yadav on Sunday mourned the death of close aide and former Union minister Raghuvansh Prasad Singh, saying he was "speechless".

"I had told you only the day before yesterday that you are not going anywhere. But you have gone so far away. I am speechless, I am sad. You will always be in my memory," he tweeted.

Singh, a five-term former MP and Union minister had on Thursday resigned from the RJD and sent his resignation letter to Prasad, serving time after conviction in four fodder scam cases.

"Since the death of Jannayak Karpoori Thakur, I stood behind you for 32 years, but not now," he said in his brief one-line resignation letter to Prasad from his hospital bed at AIIMS, New Delhi, where he was admitted due to post-Covid complications.

Thakur was a prominent socialist leader and former state chief minister.

Hours later, Prasad wrote back from jail in complete disbelief.

"I don't believe....a letter purportedly written by you is on social media. I, my family, and the RJD family that have nursed the party want you to get well soon and be amongst us," Prasad wrote back.

"For four decades, we have together discussed political, social and even family matters. You get well soon and we will discuss again. You are not going anywhere, you understand," Prasad wrote in a handwritten letter that had the stamp of the prison authority.

Prasad's Twitter account is handled by his family and associates.