Another RJD MLA Birendra Kumar quits Lalu's party to join Nitish Kumar's JD(U)

PATNA: Lalu Prasad-led RJD, the main opposition party in Bihar, received a major setback on Tuesday after yet another party MLA Birendra Kumar joined the ruling JD(U) ahead of the assembly polls.
Birendra is the 12th legislator of the RJD to join Nitish Kumar-led JD(U) in the last two and a half months.
The Teghra MLA Birendra joined the JD(U) in presence of Munger MP and JD(U) leader in the Lok Sabha Rajiv Ranjan Singh alias Lalan Singh. Birendra was provided the JD(U) membership by Singh.
Birendra is the son of former advocate general Ram Balak Mahto. Sources in the RJD said, Mahto was so close to the RJD chief Lalu Prasad that he continued to remain the state government’s advocate general for many years during the chief ministership of Lalu and his wife Rabri Devi. Mahto had played a vital role in securing the RJD’s symbol for his son during the 2015 assembly polls when the RJD and JD(U) were part of the Grand Alliance along with the Congress, a senior RJD leader said.
An engineering graduate from the Patna-based erstwhile Bihar College of Engineering (now NIT-Patna) Birendra was close to Nitish Kumar since his student days. Nitish too completed his engineering course from the same college. “But Birendra got the RJD’s ticket in 2015 elections because of Lalu Prasad’s blessings,” a senior RJD leader who didn’t want to be identified told TOI on Tuesday.
Welcoming the Teghra MLA in the JD(U) camp, Lalan Singh said, “The RJD has now converted into a party of a particular family where there is no respect for workers. There was no respect left for a person like Birendra Kumar in the RJD.”
Singh also said that the JD(U) has been strengthened further with the joining of Birendra Kumar.
Soon after joining the JD(U), Birendra said Nitish Kumar is just like his elder brother and he always remained with Nitish Ji. Birendra also said Bihar has reported overall progress under the leadership of Nitish Kumar. “Backward and downtrodden people from all communities get relief and justice under the leadership of Nitish Kumar. There is no alternative to leadership of Nitish in Bihar these days,” the Teghra MLA said.
Earlier on August 20, three RJD MLAs namely Chandrika Rai, Jai Vardhan Yadav and Faraz Fatmi had joined the ruling JD(U). Chandrika, son of former CM Daroga Prasad Rai, is also ‘Samdhi’ of the RJD chief.
Similarly on August 17, three other RJD MLAs namely Maheshwar Prasad Yadav, Prema Choudhary and Ashok Kumar had joined the JD(U).
Prior to these two major setbacks to the RJD, five party MLCs had left Lalu's party on June 23 in the state legislative council and joined the ruling JD(U) the same day.