Ranjan attacks Lalu, says netas used Yadavs in polls

PATNA: Without naming RJD chief Lalu Prasad, former JD(U) MP and Yadav Jagaran Manch (YJM) convener Ranjan Prasad Yadav said on Friday certain politicians used the support and vote of Yadav caste people during elections and ignored them later.
Addressing the YJM state conference at the SK Memorial Hall, Ranjan, who was very close to Lalu in the 1990s and managed the university affairs on his behalf, said, “I will not take their names, but these politicians ignored the economic, educational and social uplift of Yadavs after elections.”

Curiously, the venue had the portraits and cutouts of several politicians from the Yadav caste, but Lalu’s was conspicuous by its absence. “We have displayed the portraits and pictures of CMs, ministers and even of the former Lok Sabha Speaker,” Ranjan said, in reply to a question if the conference felt that Lalu was not a tall leader. When reminded that he had defeated Lalu in the 2009 parliamentary election from Pataliputra constituency, Ranjan said, “It was not me but the 18 lakh people of the constituency who defeated him.” Asked if the conference held under the YJM was opposed to Lalu, he merely said “no comments”. On the query if the meet had been “funded by the RSS” or had closeness to it, Ranjan said, “This is wrong. The participants are from various parties, including from the Left. In fact, half of those present in the hall and outside it are from the RJD!”

He insisted that “no money” had been used to bring people to the venue and also maintained that the participants also included retired college teachers and bureaucrats. According to Ranjan, delegates had come from all the 534 blocks in the state. “We will decide the next course of action later. No decision has yet been taken to make the manch active for any kind of political mobilization,” Ranjan said, adding that YJM is a registered body.

Sources said the YJM would be activated for political mobilization of the Yadav caste people so as to wean them away from Lalu in favour of the BJP.