RJD march loses steam minus Laloo

RJD’s decision to walk its leaders and workers to blocks and villages assumes political significance with the party never “walking to the masses” during its 15-year regime. Upbeat NDA has termed Paidal Yatra a “desperation march”.

Quite surprisingly,Laloo has decided not to be part of the march. Only RJD MPs,MLAs and top functionaries will leader the march. The RJD president,however,may drop in at some function without any schedule.

Laloo Prasad said: “Our workers will hear out public grievances and tell people how Nitish government has been misleading people with propaganda”. He said that Nitish Kumar had been imitating his style of mingling with masses.

RJD national spokesperson Shyam Rajak said: “We will embark on the march on 17 February ¿ deatyh anniversary of Karpoori Thakur. It will start from Valmiki Nagar in West Champaran under leadership of MP Raghunath Jha”.

Rajak said that the party would target government failure in curbing corruption at all levels and ill-management of Kosi floods.

RJD aims at covering over 7,000 km and having hundreds of public meetings till the march concludes on 1 March at Patna’s Gandhi Maidan,where Laloo will address party workers and audience.

Second-rung RJD leaders like Rajak,Ramkripal Yadav,Abdul Bari Siddiqui,Shakil Ahmad Khan,Sadhu Yadav. RJD ministers at the Centre will lead the march in their respective districts. The march will cover all 38 districts.

JD-U national spokesperson Shivanand Tiwari,however,said: “We have made RJD hit the streets. But Laloo Prasad does not want to be part of his march because that would mean copying Nitish’s Vikas Yatra format”.

He said the government’s success had made RJD restless and wary of growing popularity of Nitish Kumar. It is good RJD could finally think of walking down to people,said Tiwari adding: “Is baar janta hi Lalooji ko paidal kar degi (this time,people will render Laloo jobless)”.