Rashtriya Janata Dal

Cong bolstered democracy to extent that tea-seller could become PM: Bhagat

Congress MP Sukhdeo Bhagat on Saturday said his party and India's first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru strengthened the roots of democracy and the Constitution to the extent that a "tea-seller" could become the country's prime minister. Participating in a debate on 75 years of the adoption of the Constitution, Bhagat hit back at Union minister Rajnath Singh claiming opposition leaders had seen their families keep the Constitution in their pockets for generations and said this was true as the most precious and important things were kept in pockets. "Yesterday (Friday), ruling party people were attacking Nehru but I would like to tell the House that the Congress and Nehru strengthened the roots of democracy and the Constitution so much that a tea-seller is a prime minister now. The Congress strengthened the roots (of democracy)," the MP from Jharkhand's Lohardaga said. Slamming the BJP, he claimed the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS)-linked Organiser had said India would not accept

Tejashwi may skip winter session out of shame post bypoll result: JD(U)

JD(U) spokesman and MLC Neeraj Kumar on Sunday took a dig at Tejashwi Yadav, the leader of the opposition in the Bihar assembly, claiming that the RJD leader may give the winter session a slip out of "political shame". Kumar's comments in a video message came a day after the NDA, of which the party is a crucial partner, swept by-elections to four assembly seats in the state, retaining Imamganj and wresting from the INDIA bloc Tarari, Ramgarh and Belaganj. The RJD lost two seats, thereby getting deprived of the "single-largest party" status in the 243-strong assembly that Yadav and his colleagues prided themselves on. Kumar also recalled Yadav's absence during the monsoon session, asserting that the latter had played truant because of "raajneetik lajja (political shame)" resulting from the Lok Sabha polls. The NDA, which won back Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, the JD(U) supremo, earlier this year, bagged 30 out of 40 Lok Sabha seats in the state. The RJD, which is INDIA bloc's larges

Jharkhand polls: RJD surprises as candidates lead in 5 of 6 Assembly seats

The Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) has emerged as a surprise element in the Jharkhand assembly elections with its candidates leading in five of the six seats where the party is contesting, according to trends available on the Election Commission's website on Saturday. RJD candidates in five assembly seats were leading over sitting BJP legislators. In 2019, RJD had secured only the Chatra seat where its nominee Satyanand Bhokta won. In Deoghar, RJD's Suresh Paswan was leading by 19,581 votes over his nearest rival and BJP's sitting MLA Narayan Das after the third round of counting. RJD's Sanjay Prasad Yadav was ahead by 19,867 votes in Godda over BJP MLA Amit Kumar Mandal after the sixth round of counting. In Koderma, RJD nominee Subhash Prasad Yadav, who was out on bail, was leading by a margin of 3,471 votes over BJP's sitting legislator Neera Yadav. Subhas Prasad Yadav, considered to be one of the close aides of RJD supremo Lalu Prasad, was recently granted bail by the Supreme Cour

SC issues notice to centre on RJD's plea against HC verdict on quota limit

The Supreme Court on Friday sought responses from the Centre and the state government on a plea of Rashtriya Janata Dal against a Patna High Court order setting aside the amended reservation laws in Bihar that had led to raising of quotas for Dalits, tribals and backward classes from 50 per cent to 65 percent. A bench comprising Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud, Justice J B Pardiwala and Justice Manoj Misra took note of the submissions of senior advocate P Wilson, appearing for RJD, that the plea needed to be decided. "Issue notice and tag with the pending pleas," the CJI said. On July 29, the top court, while hearing other similar 10 pleas, had refused to stay the high court order that set aside the amended reservation laws in Bihar that enabled the Nitish Kumar government to raise quotas 50 per cent to 65 per cent. The bench, however, had agreed to hear the petitions of the Bihar government against the verdict. The state government has also moved the top court against the high cour

RJD to protest on Sept 1 demanding 65% reservation for OBC, SC and, ST

Tejashwi said that he would join the protest that would happen in Bihar

WATCH: Mob tries to set school bus with students onboard on fire in Bihar

Bharat Bandh: One of the men was seen burning a tyre right under the bus. The attempt, however, was thwarted by the police

Centre denies Bihar's 'special category' status; no new designation allowed

The Centre said that no new states are being awarded 'special category' status at present, as the Indian Constitution does not accommodate such classification

Remove 'Modi Ka Parivar' suffix from social media: PM Modi to supporters

Prime Minister Narendra Modi asked his supporters to remove the 'Modi Ka Parivar' suffix from their social media handles, after the elections victory for the NDA had communicated the intended message

RJD leader Manoj Jha takes oath as RS MP for 2nd term alongside 6 others

Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader and spokesperson of the party Manoj Jha on Wednesday took oath as a member of Rajya Sabha for his second consecutive term in the House.Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar administered the oath to Jha in the Parliament House."Hon'ble Vice-President of India & Chairman, Rajya Sabha, Shri Jagdeep Dhankhar administered oath to the elected Members of Rajya Sabha in Parliament House today," the vice president's office said in a post on X while sharing pictures of the oath-taking.Notably, all six Rajya Sabha candidates from Bihar were elected unopposed to the Upper House of Parliament comprising two members each from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), along with one each from Janata Dal (United) and Congress.The BJP fielded its State vice-president Bhim Singh and president of State women's wing president Dharmsheela Gupta (from the Extremely Backward Class and Other Backward Classes, respectively) while the RJD nominated Manoj

LS polls: RJD to contest on 26, Cong, Left to field on 14 seats in Bihar

In the seat-sharing formula for the Mahagathbandhan allies, RJD gets key constituencies in Madhubani and Hajipur while Congress to contest from Kishanganj and Muzaffarpur

INDIA bloc seals first seat-sharing agreement as SP, Congress join hands

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi will share the stage with Rashtriya Janata Dal president Lalu Prasad and CPI(M) General Secretary Sitaram Yechury at a rally in Patna on March 3

LS polls: NDA will win all seats in Bihar, says deputy CM Samrat Chaudhary

When asked about giving a chance to Nitish Kumar again, Lalu Prasad Yadav on February 16 said, "Ab aayenge toh dekhenge, khula hi rehta hai darwaaza' (if he will we will see, door remains open)"

What has PM Modi done for backward castes, asks Rajya Sabha MP Manoj Jha

Manoj Jha told ANI that PM Modi and his party have been unsuccessful in strengthening the backward classes in the country

Saamana editorial slams Bihar CM Nitish Kumar for returning to NDA

Shiv Sena (UBT) mouthpiece Saamana in its editorial has criticised Bihar CM Nitish Kumar for returning to NDA fold

What good use are temples?: Bihar minister defends views on Ram Mandir

Bihar education minister Chandra Shekhar defended his statement on the need for temples, referring to the upcoming Ram Temple event, scheduled to happen on January 22 in UP's Ayodhya

The Mandal Commission decoded: How OBC reservation came into effect

The Mandal Commission, named after its chairman, B P Mandal, played a vital role in recognising backward classes in India and framing affirmative action policies

PM Modi's last flag unfurling at Red fort, it will be us next year: Lalu

Rashtriya Janata Dal president Lalu Prasad on Tuesday asserted that Prime Minister Narendra Modi got to unfurl the tricolour at the Red Fort in Delhi for the last time. Prasad was talking to reporters after celebrating Independence Day at the residence of his wife Rabri Devi here, which was marked by the two former Bihar chief ministers unfurling the national flag. I extend my greetings to the people of the country on the occasion and pay my tributes to great men like Mahatma Gandhi, Subhash Chandra Bose, Maulana Abul Kalam Azad and Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar whose contributions the nation can never forget," Prasad told reporters. The ailing septuagenarian, who has been steadfast in his opposition to the BJP in his political career spanning over several decades, was asked by some journalists in a lighter vein whether PM Modi would be able to unfurl the tricolour next year, when the Independence Day would fall well after the Lok Sabha polls. Nahin, na (no, not at all) was the curt .

The political impact of Rahul Gandhi's legal woes

Going to jail is a rite of passage for politicians, and they tend to emerge stronger if the punishment is seen to be unfair

Stalwart regional leader Sharad Yadav passes away at 75

In the 1999 Lok Sabha elections, Yadav contested on the ticket of JD(U) from Madhepura Parliamentary Constituency and defeated Lalu Prasad Yadav

Lalu Yadav's daughter to donate a kidney to her father for a transplant

Ailing Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) patriarch Lalu Yadav's Singapore-based daughter will donate a kidney to her father, a close family member said on Thursday. Yadav, 74, returned last month from Singapore where he had gone for treatment of his kidney problems. The RJD president, who has been suffering from multiple health problems, was advised a kidney transplant. His daughter Rohini Acharya, based in Singapore, has stepped in to give her father a new lease of life, a family member told PTI. Yadav, who is currently in Delhi, is out on bail. He has been jailed for his involvement in fodder cases and has been hospitalised several times in Delhi and Ranchi for treatment. It is not clear where the kidney transplant surgery will happen and when. Doctors at AIIMS, where he was treated earlier, said they are not aware of the development. A doctor added on the condition of anonymity added that no permission would be required from AIIMS if the transplant happens in another country. Trans