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Journalism of Courage
A long-time national spokesperson of the Janata Dal (United), its general secretary K C Tyagi on Tuesday found himself out of the party’s national team. Though both the party and the veteran socialist leader publicly said he asked Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar to be relieved of his responsibilities and had not been dropped — with Tyagi saying it is too early to write his “political obituary” — it seems like the end of a chapter for him.
Some party insiders said that differences with some senior JD(U) leaders on political messaging since the Maghagathbandan returned to power last August could have led to Tyagi being eased out. Tyagi is said to have requested Bihar CM Nitish Kumar to “relieve him of organisational responsibilities” after the party’s national executive meeting in December.
A national general secretary of the party since the merger of the JD(U) and the Samata Party in 2003, Tyagi was also among the party’s most prominent voices in Delhi and national media. After Upendra Kushwaha quit the party the first time around in 2013, the veteran leader was given his seat in the Rajya Sabha. Tyagi served out the rest of Kushwaha’s term from February 2013 to July 2016. Though there was speculation since then that Tyagi would be sent back to the Upper House of Parliament, it did not come to pass and the veteran always ended up losing to other leaders.
The 72-year-old told The Indian Express, “Some people are citing their reasons for why I got relieved of organisational positions. But let me make it clear that I have never lobbied to be an MP. After getting to the Lok Sabha in 1989, I became MP again in 2013 … Some people are also saying that my son (Amrish) is in the BJP. Let me say that the rise of Narendra Modi has divided many political families in the country. But I am a democrat and respect all kinds of opinions under the same roof.”
In his career, Tyagi has worked with leaders such as Chaudhary Charan Singh, Raj Narain, H N Bahuguna, Chandra Shekhar, V P Singh, George Fernandes, Sharad Yadav, and Nitish Kumar. Emphasising that he is not retiring from politics, Tyagi said, “Let me explain that I am not retiring from politics. My engagements will remain the same and I would surely work for national Opposition unity. I consider Nitish Kumar among the top 10 socialist leaders and, at present, he is perhaps the only socialist leader who can offer resistance to Narendra Modi.”
JD(U) national general secretary Aafaq Ahmed Khan denied it was the end of the road for the veteran, saying Tyagi would “continue to be the strong pillar of the party”.
Asked about the label he had of being a Sharad Yadav acolyte, Tyagi said, “It was only because Sharad ji and I spent several years together when he became the president of the Yuva Janata and I was its general secretary. But why only Sharad Yadav? I had the honour of working under several other stalwarts. I am writing a book that will tell my story. I am not retiring. It is too early to write my political obituary.”
