Bihar RJD chief’s statement on jeans-clad party workers invites jibes

Bihar Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) president Jagdanand Singh’s recent statement that “those who wear jeans, can’t be leaders of our party”, has now invited jibes from young party workers and leaders from other political parties.

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Apparently peeved over the statement, Tej Pratap Yadav, RJD MLA from Hasanpur constituency and elder son of party chief Lalu Prasad, on August 8 called him “Hitler who wants to run the party on his whims and discipline”.

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“One should not make the mistake of thinking that the chair [of State party president] is his ancestral property,” Mr. Tej Pratap said while addressing a meeting of student’s wing at the party headquarters here.

On August 7, while addressing party workers at a dharna here on the issue of party’s demand for caste-based census, Mr. Singh after seeing youths wearing jeans moving around and not paying attention to his speech, said, “politics is not fit for those who wear jeans and they can’t be leaders, especially of our party which is a party of poor, downtrodden and suppressed people”.

“Those who are wearing jeans may not be from our party but from the RSS and the BJP. They have sneaked into our protest sit-in with ulterior motives,” added Mr. Singh.

Mr. Singh also urged the jeans-clad youth to maintain discipline and sit with patience at the protest site. However, some were seen moving around which apparently prompted Mr. Singh to say “wearing jeans in our party sends a wrong message”.

However, later, State president of the RJD student’s wing Akash Kumar took on Mr. Singh and said, “I don’t think his statement is proper and justified. Today’s politics has nothing to do with wearing jeans or uniform”.

Another officer-bearer of the RJD student’s wing Neeraj Kumar said, “he [Mr Singh] should refrain from making such unwarranted and controversial statements”.

Though, no senior RJD was ready to react officially to Mr. Singh’s statement, some of them, requesting anonymity, said, “wearing jeans has nothing to do with politics today as Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, RJD leaders Tejashwi Yadav, Tej Pratap Yadav and other young leaders too wear jeans. So what’s wrong in it,” they asked.

Ruling party Janata Dal (United) spokesperson Abhishek Jha said that by giving such statements the State RJD chief had “insulted youth in politics”. “This shows the mindset of the party that Mr. Singh heads in the State,” he added.

“Times have changed today and wearing jeans is no more a taboo in politics now,” reacted Vikasheel Insaan Party spokesperson Dev jyoti.

Similarly, another ruling alliance partner in the State Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular) leader and party’s young spokesperson Danish Rizwan said, “it is ridiculous to give such statements in present day politics. Mr. Singh should first look at the leaders of his own party and initiate action against them”.

Meanwhile, addressing a meeting of student’s wing of the party on August 8, Mr. Tej Pratap called Mr. Singh “Hitler who wants to run the party at his whims and discipline”.

“I don’t care about [disciplinary] laws and by-laws. It should be in the party. Earlier, it was easy for everyone to come and go inside the party headquarters here, but ever since the new State president has assumed charge, all system has changed and he wants to run the party at his whims thinking the chair of his post as his ancestral property but he doesn’t know this that no one knows when one’s chair will go. Mine too has gone,” said Mr. Tej Pratap whose relationship with Mr. Singh has been unsteady since long.

Mr. Tej Pratap was earlier Health Minister in Bihar in the ‘mahagathbandhan’ (grand alliance) government.