A few months prior to the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, Lok Sabha MP from Munger Rajiv Ranjan Singh alias Lalan Singh resigned as national president of Janata Dal-United and made Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar the new head of the party. Meanwhile, the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) including the Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) is pointing towards an internal rift in the party. However, Lalan Singh claimed that he left the position on his own accord, per a report in Hindustan Live and attempted to persuade Nitish Kumar who was applying emotional pressure for him to hold onto the presidency.
Referring to the significant shift that his party underwent before the general elections next year as a critical requirement, he stated that all of this occurred with his consent and refuted rumours of factionalism. He made serious accusations against a section of the media and alleged that the BJP is responsible for these assertions. He also shared his opinion over Nitish Kumar not being assigned any role in the I.N.D.I. Alliance.
He mentioned that he became the president of the party on 30th July 2021 in an interview. Nitish Kumar conveyed to “leave him alone” when he presented Lalan Singh’s name. He voiced the same thing repeatedly, but the latter requested not to compel him. However, Nitish Kumar got angry and didn’t talk to him for five days after which he agreed to the proposition. The election process started in December 2022 following the party’s membership and the National President nomination was due at that time. Anil Hegde was the returning officer. Nitish Kumar asked him to sign the nomination papers, however, he pointed out that he wouldn’t do it because he didn’t want the post.
Nitish Kumar then called him and insisted, “I would not sign the motion if you don’t nominate yourself.” Lalan Singh claimed that once again he was appointed as the national president on the instructions of a senior party leader with whom he has 37-year-long ties. However, the former complained, “I experienced numerous issues because of this including visits to my constituency and party work. I told the chief minister that although I carried out your directives to run the party for this long, I now wanted to be relieved of my duties. He responded, nevertheless, with the comment that he would smash his head if the national president discussed resignation and I remained silent after that.”
According to the parliamentarian, one day he informed the chief minister that the election was approaching but he didn’t have time to go to his area which would impact his candidacy. He urged, “I am unable to dedicate time to the party as well as my constituency and both are facing injustice as a result, therefore, remove me from this post. However, Nitish Kumar replied that I could go away if there’s a poll but he won’t hand over the position to anyone else and take on the responsibility himself.”
Lalan Singh answered that everything transpired with his permission and Nitish Kumar’s wish when inquired about the timing of the resignation. He noted that it was done exclusively for the election as he had to contest for office when asked about the possibility of a reshuffle in light of the impending Lok Sabha elections. He added, “I was unable to spend much time in my home region of Munger since I had to travel to several states while I was president,”
He claimed that the party required a well-known face for the Lok Sabha election and as the party’s popular leader, Nitish Kumar embraced this role as the prominent figurehead. He proclaimed, “The fact that Nitish Kumar succeeded me as president fills me with great pride. I’m also pleased that he would take on the presidency in place of me.”
Addressing a query concerning Nitish Kumar’s discontent about his closeness to Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Prasad Yadav, he remarked that the former gave his approval for the coalition because he had endured great humiliation while in power with the BJP. He recounted, “Nitish Kumar used to tell me that the BJP members were quite offensive when we used to sit at his place in the evening. He complained that first, they pressured him to be the chief minister and then didn’t respect the conditions of the alliance. BJP leaders kept declaring that Nitish Kumar became the chief minister due to their graciousness.” Lalan Singh quoted Nitish Kumar and claimed that while JDU had more seats when the NDA government was formed in Bihar in 2005 and 2010, the BJP was always respected.
After RJD proposed to form a grand alliance, Lalan Singh observed that Nitish Kumar authorised him to negotiate the offer. He threatened, “I’m going to serve legal notice on those who are claiming that RJD is running an operation inside the party.” He recalled that the party had been formed in 1995. “How then can I ruin the party that I put together,” he questioned and accused, “All this is the propaganda of Godi media which is being disseminated at the behest of BJP.”
Lalan Singh also remembered the time that he and Nitish Kumar were apart and maintained that despite having disagreements with the latter between 2010 and 2013, he didn’t go anywhere and returned in 2013 because he couldn’t stay in a rental house instead of his place. When asked about the possibility of a covert meeting with 12 JDU MLAs to install deputy chief minister Tejashwi Yadav as chief minister, he warned that he would take legal action against anyone who perpetuates disinformation and added, “I’m going to sue them for defamation as well.”
Lalan Singh charged that the BJP had violated its promise and claimed that seven of their MLAs in Arunachal Pradesh had been broken from the party and included in the BJP while they were together in the government and did the same with five out of their six legislators in Manipur. “The ex-president of the party, Ram Chandra Prasad Singh, hurt us in the 2020 assembly elections. Nitish Kumar did not want to become the chief minister as a result of the small number of MLAs but Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah compelled him.”
He continued, “However, started degrading him by instructing small-time leaders of their party to issue statements. No one in their national leadership addressed our grievances and BJP workers even supported Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) in the 2020 state poll.” Lalan Singh explained that Nitish Kumar could work more effectively if he was absolved of all responsibility on a question of the exclusion of the latter from any role in the I.N.D.I.A bloc. He categorically ruled out the possibility of JDU going with NDA again and alleged that Godi media is promoting this lie.
