Lalu declares war on Paswan, inducts Pappu

A war was declared by Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) supremo Lalu Prasad on partner and till recently ally Ram Vilas Paswan when the RJD chief declared in Kerala that Rajesh Ranjan alias Pappu Yadav, who quit the Paswan-led Lok Janshakti Party (LJP), would be the RJD candidate for the by-election to the Madhepura Lok Sabha seat in Bihar.

The seat became vacant because Prasad, who had won from both Chhapra and Madhepura constituencies, elected to stay MP from Chhapra, resigning from Madhepura.

In Madhepura, Prasad defeated his nearest rival, Sharad Yadav of the Janata Dal (United), by a margin of around 60,000 votes. Yadav is not contesting the election this time.

Paswan had invited Pappu Yadav""who has been in jail on a number of charges and secured a bail from the Patna High Court earlier today in connection with the killing of CPI(M) legislator Ajit Sarkar at Purnea in 1998""to join the LJP before the Lok Sabha elections and also contested polls unsuccessfully on the LJP ticket from Purnea.

He lost the election Purnea to a BJP candidate by a margin of around 10,000 votes.

His wife, Ranjita Ranjan, however, won from the adjoining Saharsa Lok Sabha constituency as a LJP nominee.

Pappu Yadav, who began his career in Prasad's tutelage, has now returned to his original political mentor. He resigned from the LJP earlier this week alleging high-handed and autocratic behaviour by Paswan.

The real reason for Pappu Yadav switching sides was that he only saw diminishing returns from an alliance with Paswan.

In Bihar, a Dalit-Yadav electoral coalition is a tenuous one, especially in a district like Purnea where the Yadavs are strong but need to be consolidated. Purnea is also Prasad's backyard so Pappu Yadav's presence is going to be a surrogate Lalu presence.

The RJD is now ranged against at least two candidates from parties that are supposedly partners in the coalition against communalism. The CPI(M) has fielded a candidate in Madhepura disregarding the RJD's protests because it feels its candidate is a "strong" one. The LJP has also put up a candidate, signalling its total break from the RJD.

Paswan, who was reportedly denied the railway portfolio, because Prasad wanted it for himself, has been trying to stitch a formidable political combination to take on the RJD in the Bihar Assembly elections due next year.

Today, however, talking to reporters in Thiruvananthapuram, Prasad said all the partners of the UPA were united in their fight against communal forces.

"Some tantriks have told Atal Bihari Vajpayee that his stars are bright and those of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh are not good. But nothing is going to happen," he said.

On the coming Assembly elections in Bihar, the RJD chief said he was a partner of the Congress. "Communal forces are our enemy. We will fight together for the nation's interests."