Asked whether Rahul Gandhi is a suitable candidate for the post of Prime Minister, Lalu Prasad Yadav did not give a direct answer and said that the parties will decide who will become the PM after the 2024 Lok Sabha poll results. (File pic/News18)
There could be one convener each for three-four states, who would coordinate on issues related to the alliance, Lalu Prasad Yadav said. There is a possibility of assigning conveners at the state level also, the RJD leader added
Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) president Lalu Prasad Yadav in a significant statement told News18 that there could be many conveners for the opposition INDIA bloc. The former Bihar chief minister was visiting his ancestral Phulwaria village in Gopalganj district with his wife Rabri Devi after about seven years to meet his extended family.
In an exclusive conversation with News18, Lalu said that there could be one convener each for three-four states, who would coordinate on issues related to the alliance. There is a possibility of assigning conveners at the state level also, he added.
The RJD leader’s statements gain importance as Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar was being as the possible sole convener of the bloc since he met many non-NDA chief ministers and regional satraps to take the idea of INDIA forward.
Lalu said there is no confusion about the role of Nitish or Tejashwi because “we are fighting a bigger battle than this”.
Nitish Kumar has said on several occasions that he is not in the race to become a convener or prime ministerial candidate but Janata Dal (United) leaders have been calling him a suitable PM pick.
Lalu, who has been a key figure in the making of the INDIA bloc, said the alliance has been formed to defeat the Bharatiya Janata Party-led NDA government at the Centre.
The RJD leader has shared a good rapport with the Congress’s Gandhi family for decades and his views are taken seriously within the opposition camp. The former union minister played a big part in bringing Nitish Kumar into the ruling mahagathbandhan in Bihar and making him the chief minister in August 2022.
Lalu’s son Tejashwi Yadav is the unanimous leader after him in the RJD and is serving as Bihar’s deputy chief minister under Nitish.
On Modi govt
18 political parties have joined hands to oust the Narendra Modi-led NDA at the Centre, Lalu Prasad Yadav told News18. “We will up the ante against the ‘autocratic regime’, which is trying to undermine the federal structure of the country,” he said. “In the next alliance meeting, we will decide on the strengths and the weaknesses of the parties in different regions and move ahead as we have very little time to chalk out poll strategies now.”
He asked how PM Modi claims that he will hoist the national flag at the Red Fort next year as “electing the Prime Minister is the sole prerogative of the people”.
On Tejashwi as future CM
Lalu also does not hide his intention to make Tejashwi the next CM of Bihar.
“One day he will become the chief minister of Bihar. As of now, our focus is to defeat the NDA at any cost. Till then we need to remain intact,” he said.
He said there is no deal with Nitish Kumar to make Tejashwi the chief minister.
On Rahul Gandhi as possible PM pick
Asked whether Rahul Gandhi is a suitable candidate for the post of Prime Minister, Lalu did not give a direct answer and said that the parties will decide who will become the PM after the 2024 Lok Sabha poll results.
“Rahul has become a formidable opposition face but leadership issues will be decided after the general elections,” he said.
