PATNA: Lalu Prasad Yadav’s Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) on Tuesday extended support to Telugu Desam Party (TDP) for a no-confidence motion it plans to bring against the Narendra Modi-led NDA government.
The announcement came after three TDP MPs called on RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav at his residence in Patna and sought his party’s support. RJD also pledged support for TDP’s demand for special state status for Andhra Pradesh, said RJD leaders.
“We told Lalujee about our plans to begin agitations on the special state demand and our plans for a no-confidence motion against the central government. We told him we need his party’s support. He agreed wholeheartedly,” said TDP parliamentarian Garikapati Mohan Rao to reporters after emerging out of Yadav’s 10, Circular Road residence.
Rao, who was accompanied by fellow TDP MPs Galla Yayadev and Ravindra Kumar, also handed to the RJD chief a letter from Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister and TDP president N Chandrababu Naidu’s letter seeking RJD’s support. TDP’s outreach to RJD came a day before parliament’s monsoon session begins.
Yadav, who is ailing and currently out of jail on bail, spent nearly an hour with the TDP parliamentarians. Having been convicted in the fodder scam cases and sentenced to over 27 years in jail, Yadav has been barred from engaging in political activities and speaking to the media.
The TDP MPs had originally sought an appointment with Yadav’s son Tejashwi Yadav, who is the leader of Opposition in Bihar Assembly and virtually controls the party. He is currently abroad.
“Our party (RJD) supports TDP’s demand for special status for Andhra Pradesh, which is a very just demand. RJD and TDP have been friends since the time they (TDP) snapped ties with BJP,” said RJD legislator Bhola Yadav, who is a close aide of the RJD chief.
TDP and RJD are also united in their opposition to simultaneous polls for parliament and the state assemblies, both agreeing that the move will weaken regional parties and thus harm the nation’s federal system.