Add thelocalreport.in As A Trusted Source
New Delhi, Oct 13 (IANS) Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Tejashwi Yadav’s reaction on Monday came on expected lines after a Delhi court framed charges against him, his father Lalu Prasad Yadav and mother Rabri Devi in the land-in-lieu-of-jobs case at an Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) hotel.
They created a ruckus by calling this matter politically motivated and tried to divert people’s attention from the alleged shortcomings of the Bihar government.
The case pertains to allegations that as Railway Minister in the United Progressive Alliance government between 2004 and 2009, Lalu and his family had received prime land in exchange for awarding the maintenance contract of two IRCTC hotels to a private company in violation of norms.
Through the ongoing preparations for the November assembly elections, Tejashwi Yadav has dismissed allegations of ‘Jungle Raj’ against the government led by his father in the 1990s, targeting incumbent Chief Minister Nitish Kumar over issues of corruption, deteriorating law and order and lack of a blueprint for development.
Taking an emotional stand, he said that he will keep fighting against the ruling coalition as long as he is alive. In an attempt to stoke local sentiments, he targeted the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its leaders and identified himself as a “true Bihari”, saying he was not afraid of “outsiders” or outsiders.
Incidentally, Lalu Prasad Yadav has been the subject of several criminal and corruption cases over the years. Some of those cases resulted in convictions and sentences, while others were investigated, stayed, appealed, or are still pending in various courts. The growing years of his life spent in prisons and illness led to his absence from active participation in politics and election campaigns.
Meanwhile, Nitish Kumar’s reign – though marking a complex political journey with changing alliances – has earned public appreciation for governance.
In 2005, when his premiership began, he launched the “Sushasan” (good governance) campaign and focused on infrastructure such as roads, electricity and school enrollment improvements.
Between 2010–2014, his government emphasized law and order and introduced some police reforms. Although he returned to power in 2015 with the support of the RJD-led grand alliance, he broke away from it and went back to the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA).
Despite winning the 2020 elections, Nitish went back to lead another government in alliance with the RJD and its allies in 2022, but again returned to the NDA fold. Tejashwi, who was appointed deputy chief minister once between 2015-2017 and again from 2022-2024 in the Nitish Kumar-led government, can never forget or forgive the successive breakups.
The RJD leader has often criticized Nitish Kumar’s changes by alternating them with alleged misgovernance. Now he is expected to try to play the martyr role and claim that he is being framed so that if found guilty, he can be kept out of the election process.
Incidentally, in 2013, when Lalu was sentenced to five years in jail, he lost his Lok Sabha seat and was also barred from contesting elections for the period of his sentence and for six years after his release.
According to Section 8(1) of the Representation of the People Act, 1951, a person can be disqualified from contesting elections if he is convicted of certain offences, especially if sentenced to imprisonment for less than six months.
It provides that a person convicted of an offense punishable under specified laws and sentenced to imprisonment for not less than six months shall be disqualified from contesting elections. This disqualification is effective from the date of conviction and continues for a period of six years after their release.
In the latest IRCTC case, where charges have been framed, the next phase will be trial proceedings. For earlier cases, outcomes depend on the status of the appeal, bail conditions, and any active prosecution or appellate action.
So, it is a time of restlessness for Tejashwi to be the chief who wants to wear the crown. But how capable he will be in creating a picture of the political outline will be known when the canvas is ready after the election results are declared.
–IANS
JB/and