NEW DELHI, July 5: Once again packaging himself as a man victimised by the establishment, Bihar Chief Minister Laloo Prasad Yadav today split his party and announced the formation of the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) or what he repeatedly called the ``real Janata Dal.''

The announcement came exactly at 1.30 pm when an estimated 1,000 delegates at the convention, called by the Bihar CM, ``unanimously'' passed a resolution ``renaming JD as the RJD.'' Introduced by former Bihar Education Minister Ram Chandra Purve, the political resolution was supported, among others, by Union Food and Civil Supplies Minister Raghuvansh Prasad Singh.

Amidst frenzied slogans of ``Laloo Yadav Amar Rahe,'' ``Desh Ka Neta Kaisa Ho, Laloo Yadav Jaisa Ho,'' and ``Laloo Yadav Sangharsh Karo, Ham Tumhare Saath Hain,'' the Bihar CM was subsequently crowned as the president of the new outfit. Seventeen MPs from the Lok Sabha and 8 members of the Rajya Sabha, besides Ministers and MLAs from Bihar, were witness to what was termed as ``a historic occasion'' by Laloo.

Laloo was appointed the president of the breakaway party through a resolution moved by a delegate from Tamil Nadu. By another resolution, this time moved by Bihar Education Minidster Raghunath Jha, Laloo was entrusted with the responsibility of preparing the symbol and Constitution of the new party and also with the task of deciding other organisational matters. In a related development, the Janata Dal legislature party (JDLP) in Bihar reportedly sent a letter to Assembly Speaker Deo Narain Yadav informing him about the decision to form the RJD and the election of Laloo as their chief.

The letter, claimed Ram Kripal Yadav, a Lok Sabha MP from Bihar, was signed by 159 MLAs -- 142 belonging to the Janata Dal and the rest independents. The dissident faction in Bihar and supporters of Sharad Yadav, however, will stake their claim to form a new government in the state after announcement of the results of the presidential election tomorrow.

Soon after the split in the Janata Dal today, senior Dal leader and former state revenue, Land Reforms and Transport Minister Inder Singh Namdhari said that they will urge the Governor to dismiss the Laloo Prasad Yadav government, which has lost majority in the assembly and impose President's rule in the state besides inviting them to form the government.

Singh claimed they have the support of 70 legislators of the parties like the CPI, CPI (ML) and Jharkhand Mukti Morcha. He said with the announcement of the Rashtriya Janata Dal by the Laloo Prasad Yadav faction in New Delhi today, the present Dal government in the state has been reduced to a minority. Laloo, in his speech, said that the RJD would continue to support the United Front government at the Centre. ``We'll, in fact, support Prime Minister Inder Kumar Gujral with a greater vigour,'' he asserted.While he offered unstinted support to Gujral, he did not mince words in lashing out at the other JD leaders. With Laloo egging them on, speaker after speaker poured vitriol on his rivals H D Deve Gowda, Ram Vilas Paswan and Sharad Yadav.

JD ideologue Surendra Mohan, Planning Commission deputy chairman Madhu Dandavate and Union Minister of State for External Affairs Kamla Sinha were not spared either. ``Can Surendra Mohan win even a panchayat election ?'' he asked angrily. But it were Gowda and Paswan who were singled out for criticism by him. ``While late Prime Minister Charan Singh remained till the end of his life unconquered in his constituency Chhaprauli, Deve Gowda could not even save his assembly seat Ramnagaram from slipping into the hands of the opposition,'' he said, ``The party is gradually is losing popularity in Karnataka.'' He also accused the former Prime Minister of instigating Sharad Yadav into challenging him for the party president's post and of hobnobbing with the BJP and the RSS.