The RJD witnessed a blatant show of rowdiness in its youth wing on Friday in an incident of armed brawl at the party headquarters in Patna. Even as a shocked RJD chief, Mr Lalu Prasad Yadav, responded by dissolving the youth wing’s executive body and ordering an inquiry, Bihar’s ruling JD(U) was quick to ridicule the RJD.
A day before the RJD youth wing’s scheduled rally, deep divisions and unresolved previous quarrels in the party unit raised their ugly head when an upper-caste leader pulled a rifle on a lower-caste leader following a heated quarrel in front of senior RJD leaders. Ironically, the incident took place shortly after the RJD flagged off a “Yuva Sandesh Rath” ostensibly to send messages of unity and integrity to Bihar’s youth.
Mr Dhananjay Sharma, state general secretary of the RJD youth wing, allegedly pulled the rifle on Mr Satish Paswan, state president of the RJD youth wing. Former MP and RJD chief national general secretary Ram Kripal Yadav and the party’s youth wing national president, Mr Alok Mehta, were present at the site of the incident. “A human tragedy was averted by quick and effective intervention,” said one leader.
Mr Sharma later denied the charge and sought to explain it away. Mr Paswan, however, said: “I have no enmity with anyone. Those who resorted to such indiscipline would face the music.”
A visibly upset Lalu Prasad Yadav, when informed of the incident, came down to the party headquarters and announced dissolution of the youth wing’s executive body. He also ordered an inquiry by three senior leaders — Ram Kripal Yadav, Abdul Bari Siddiqui and Alok Mehta — to submit a report in a week.
“This is a highly objectionable incident that presented the RJD in a bad light. Such acts will not be tolerated,” said Mr Yadav in remarks before reporters. He also reportedly pulled up the youth wing leaders involved in the brawl.
In keeping with its tradition, the JD(U) described the RJD as a party of rowdy people. “Such has been their culture, and the people know it well,” said JD(U) state president Vijay Chaudhary.