Tejashwi Yadav won’t resign as Deputy CM, clears RJD after party meet; Nitish Kumar disappointed

New Delhi: Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav will not step down from his post, the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) cleared after party meet on Monday. According to the reports of ANI, majority of MLAs in the meeting came out in support of Tejashwi saying,”Why will he resign”?

“Tejashwi Yadav has been a good leader and will always remain one,” the party said. Targetting the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the RJD said, “There has been an attempt to fade us, but it will not happen. We will emerge like we have always in the past as well. There is a conspiracy to break the grand alliance, but the state government is very much in place and stable.”

Meanwhile, it has been reported that the announcement by RJD has disappointed Bihar CM, who has not commented on the CBI raids on Lalu Prasad and his family yet.

Nitish has also called an all party meeting of its legislators on Tuesday during which he might compel Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav to step down from his post. Though Kumar is yet to break his silence on the CBI raids, sources in the JD(U) reportedly had said that it would be an “ideal situation if Tejashwi Yadav himself offers to step down” during a meeting of RJD legislators.

Yesterday, Nitish Kumar’s Lok Samvad Programme, which was scheduled to be held today has also been postponed citing former’s health reasons. A press release issued by the state government stated that the chief minister is suffering from fever and therefore, the Lok Samvad Programme has been postponed. However, it has been speculated that he is avoiding sharing space with Tejashwi as well as media in view of the recent CBI raids.

Another RJD MLA Lalit Yadav urged CM Nitish Kumar to not sack Tejashwi and wait till the deputy CM is chargesheeted. “Why is Uma Bharti continuing in PM Modi’s cabinet despite being chargesheeted in the Ayodhya case. We want Nitish Kumar not to sack Tejashwi Yadav,” India Today quoted Yadav.

Earlier on Friday, the CBI registered a corruption case against Lalu Yadav, his wife Rabri Devi, son Tejaswi Yadav; former Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) Managing Director P.K. Goyal; and the wife of Lalu’s confidante Prem Chand Gupta, Sujata on allegations of awarding the tender for development, maintenance and operation of hotels in Ranchi and Puri in 2006.

The CBI later questioned Rabri Devi and Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Tejaswi Yadav.

The case was registered on the allegations of awarding the tender for development, maintenance and operation of Hotels at Ranchi and Puri to a Private Company dealing with Hotels in the year 2006.

The investigative agency also conducted searches at 12 locations across Patna, Delhi, Gurugram and other places.

The RJD supremo, however, refuted the allegations against him and called it a political conspiracy hatched by the BJP.