Jagdanand Singh is expected to continue as ruling Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD)’s Bihar chief on the insistence of ailing chief of the party, Lalu Prasad Yadav, people aware of the matter said.
Singh was believed to have been upset after his son, Sudhakar, was forced to step down as a minister ostensibly under pressure from the party’s top brass following his repeated allegations of corruption in his department.
The people said the RJD chief convinced Singh to continue to steer the party in the state ahead of the 2024 parliamentary polls and guide deputy chief minister Tejashwi Yadav.
On Thursday, Singh met the RJD chief at his daughter Misa Bharti’s residence in New Delhi in presence of top leaders.
Singh said he would return to Patna on Saturday and hinted he would resume work soon. “In am still unwell and undergoing treatment. I will be in Patna. There will be work of course,” he said. “Let us not go to details,” he added when asked about speculation that he might step down.
The RJD chief got in touch with Singh, a loyalist since 80s, and asked him give up his insistence on stepping down.
A prominent Rajput face, Singh skipped programmes including the RJD’s national executive and council meeting in October. He was believed to be upset over party’s inability to defend his son.
Sudhakar questioned the functioning of bureaucracy, which seemingly did not go down well with chief minister Nitish Kumar.
The RJD chief was prompted to convince Singh to continue as the veteran leader’s exit could have adversely impacted the party’s prospects in the 2014 parliamentary polls. Singh, who has been the state RJD president since 2019, has been credited with instilling a work culture among workers.
The RJD separately finalised the 80-plus member national executive committee on Thursday. The panel includes former chief minister Rabri Devi. The RJD chief was scheduled to leave on Friday for Singapore for a kidney transplant in first week of December.
