RJD MLA revolts against Laloo, Rabri

RJD MLA revolts against Laloo, Rabri
PRESS TRUST OF INDIA

Patna, Dec 21: Senior RJD MLA, Ramdas Rai, who resigned from the Rabri Devi ministry on Tuesday, today raised a banner of revolt against the party leadership and demanded immediate removal of Rabri Devi from Chief Ministership and installation of Rajya Sabha member, Ranjan Prasad Yadav, in her place.

Rai who put in his paper in protest against rejection of his claim for elevation as Cabinet Minister for higher education, told PTI that more than 50 RJD MLAs and ministers had contacted him and appreciated his stand.

``We have to establish inner democracy in the party and in the government...I am not going to quit RJD but I will fight for change in leadership, he said.

Stating that RJD national working president, Ranjan Prasad Yadav, was a better choice to replace Rabri, Rai said the like-minded MLAs and ministers would soon launch a campaign for her ouster.

"I have never hankered for the post of the Cabinet Minister for Higher Education...I merely wanted to work under the Chief Minister but Laloo turned down my request and made a non-matriculate Ramlakhan Ram Raman my Cabinet Minister", he said.

"It was a calculated move of Laloo to oust me as he fully aware that I will not work under Raman and I will resign in protest", Rai said adding for self-respect and maintaining personal integrity he had decided to resign.

Admitting that reallocation of the portfolios by Laloo was to satisfy the disgruntled ministers such S P Tekriwal, Jagdanand Singh, Upendra Prasad Verma, Abdul Bari Siddiqui and Shakeel Ahmed Khan, he said no due attention was paid to senior ministers like Taslimuddin, Ravindra Charan Yadav, Awadh Bihari Choudhury and Ramai Ram "who deserve more than Tekriwal and others".

According to RJD sources, some party leaders led by Ranjan Prasad Yadav met Laloo in New Delhi yesterday and expressed displeasure over the Chief Minister's decision providing additional charge of Cabinet Minister for Higher Education to Raman.