Caught in a classic catch-22 situation, the JD(U) is searching for answers to deal with party heavyweight and Lok Sabha MP Rajiv Ranjan (Lallan) Singh, who is working behind the doors to provide much needed oxygen to the Congress in Bihar. Further testing nerves of the JD(U), Mr Singh has dared the party to take action against him
and has even made his intent clear to appear on the dais when Congress president Sonia Gandhi visits Bihar. Though acknowledging the fact that Mr Singh has become a loose canon and is spearheading attacks on Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar, the JD(U) leadership does not want to expel him on two counts, as it will allow him to continue as a Lok Sabha member and secondly the party does not want to gift the Congress a formidable upper caste leader.
Speaking to this newspaper, Mr Singh revealed that he asked JD(U) chief Sharad Yadav “when would he be expelled” to which he got an answer in negative. “We will not expel you,” Mr Yadav reportedly told Mr Singh. “I am going to share the dais with Mrs Gandhi when she visits Bihar. What will you do then,” Mr Singh reportedly asked Mr Yadav to which he was told that the party would take a call on the matter at that time only.
Representing the Munghyr Lok Sabha seat from Bihar, Mr Singh hails from the land-owning Bhumihar caste, which is up in arms against Mr Nitish Kumar, for having attempted to implement a scheme, which indirectly gives rights to share-croppers (bataidaars) on the land they till. He was also a close confidante of Mr Kumar till he quit the party posts.
Sounding bullish on prospects of the Congress in Bihar, Mr Singh said that the upper caste has conviction that if Mr Kumar returns to power he would implement the “Bataidaairi scheme”. “Nitish has lost the crowd. He has divided castes in the state. People are looking for an alternative and the Congress stands a chance to emerge as the single largest party in the state,” Mr Singh told this newspaper.
Further substantiating his claims, Mr Singh stated that the Congress could weave around an equation of upper castes, Muslims and dalits, which would be an effective foil to vote base of either the JD (U)-BJP combine or RJD-LJP alliance.