Bihar: Lalu-Nitish's Janta Parivar may find it difficult to handle Pappu Yadav

Patna: What was shaping up as a clear Janata Parivar vs BJP fight in Bihar in the upcoming assembly polls, with a small advantage in favour of the former, has become a complicated matter after the exit of East Bihar strongman Pappu Yadav from Lalu Yadav’s party. His expulsion from the RJD was expected after his claim to Lalu’s legacy. But the impact he might have on the state’s politics has left the Janata Parivar in a state of nervousness. Pappu, despite his controversial past and muscleman image, has emerged as a heavyweight politician in his own right. He wields considerable clout in parts of eastern Bihar, which is evident from his track record. In the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, he had proved that he is the new favourite among Yadavs by defeating another JD(U) national chief Sharad Yadav in Madhepura. The constituency has a strong presence of the community and it is said that “Rome Pope ka aur Madhepura Gope ka (As Rome is to Pope, Madhepura is to Yadavs). He was among a handful of MPs elected on RJD tickets in the face of the strong Narendra Modi wave. Even Lalu’s own family members, wife Rabri Devi and eldest daughter Misa Bharti lost to the BJP candidates in their own strongholds—Saran and Patliputra respectively. Why Pappu was expelled from the RJD? RJD insiders said Pappu had apparently grown too big for his boots. He had started challenging the authority of Lalu by way of frequently raising the party’s succession issue in public. Lalu perceived him as a major threat to his political legacy which he wants to keep confined to his family. [caption id=“attachment_2182823” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Lalu Prasad Yadav. PTI[/caption] The RJD chief has made no secret in recent times that he wants to hand over the party to one of his sons. Pappu has been opposing this. “I am the real inheritor of Laluji’s legacy as I am the true follower of his ideology…Could he become the inheritor of Karpoori Thakur and Ram Lakhan Singh Yadav, and reached this position if these leaders had followed the line now Laluji is talking about?” This is how Pappu has been questioning Lalu’s rationale to hand over party’s reins to his inexperienced sons. Also the rising ambition to “take over” the RJD had forced Pappu to focus his attention on entire Bihar. He has been criss-crossing the state, holding rallies and undertaking ‘padyatras’ and raising the issues concerning the common men, such as seeking actions against fake doctors and pathological centres charging exorbitant fees, vocationalisation of education and seeking irrigation facilities to farmers. Pappu was also critical of Lalu’s move to push ahead with merger of six Janata Parivar parties and said no merger would be complete without the inclusion of Jitan Ram Manjhi. However, it was the issue of succession which irked Lalu the most. “I was punished since I raised the issue of strengthening the parties and not the family members. Now Lalu loves only sycophants,” said Pappu. He said he would not quit easily and would move court and the Election Commission against is compulsion. Papau is expected to disclose his next course of action on 15 May after holding meeting with his party leaders but the way he shared the dais with Manjhi at Begusarai soon after his expulsion from the party, gives enough hints about the changing political equation in the state. There are chances that both would come together to spoil the prospect of the united Janata Dal in the assembly election. Observers say combination of Dalits and Yadav in case of both the rebel leaders coming together could be a potent formation, enough to mar the prospects of the united Janata Dal. Dalits account for some 23 percent of the state’s total population whereas Yadavs’ share is 15 percent. Experts say if Pappu is able to cause a split in the Yadav vote bank, then the Janata Parivar is bound to suffer serious setbacks. The Yadav community is already indignant at Lalu’s shaking hands with Nitish who is widely blamed for tripping the former’s political career. Moreover, Lalu now can’t say with certainty that he commands holds over his fellow caste men. This is underlined from the fact that all the four Yadav candidates fielded by the BJP, such as Ram Kripal Yadav (Paltriputra), Om Prakash Yadav (Siwan), Nityanand Rai (Ujiarpur) and Hukum Deo Marayan Yadav (Madhubani) emerged victorious in the LS polls, defeating none others than the RJD candidates. Available indications say there is a little chance of Pappu joining the BJP in the present situation. Rather, there remains the possibility of Pappu and Manjhi coming together, and indirectly working for the BJP with the twin objectives to keep alive their political existence and then settle scores with their respective parties.