‘Sangharsh jari rahega’: Socialist veteran Sharad Yadav pushed to a crossroads

Yadav has been elected to the Lok Sabha seven times since 1974. He has also been a four-time member of the Upper House.

While vacating his house, Sharad did not give any hint of retirement from politics, merely saying, “Sangharsh jari rahega (struggle will continue)”.

After recovering from his illness a few moths ago, Sharad has sought to remain active in politics, meeting Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Prasad and his son Tejashwi Prasad Yadav, Leader of Opposition in the Bihar Assembly, and top Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, among others.

On March 20, Sharad merged his Loktantrik Janata Dal (LJD) with the RJD, following which there was speculation about his nomination for a Rajya Sabha berth from the RJD.

However, the RJD has now named Misa Bharti, the eldest daughter of Lalu and Rabri Devi, and former MLA Faiyaz Ahmed as its Rajya Sabha nominees.

Sharad might have been disappointed with not getting the RJD nomination for the Upper House, but he refrained from making any comments, pointing out that the matter was over now.

An RJD leader said: “Sharad Yadav is now more like a mentor and guide. But there are several considerations for sending a leader to Rajya Sabha. Sharad ji is well past his prime. His relevance in national politics is diminishing fast, more so with little signs of Opposition parties joining hands against BJP.”

RJD sources however hinted that Sharad and his family members cannot be considered to be out of reckoning as “politics always presents another opportunity”. The socialist veteran’s daughter Suhasini Raj had contested from Bihariganj unsucessfully in the 2020 Bihar Assembly polls on the Congress ticket. His son Shantanu Bundela also seems to have political ambitions.

Sharad, who was once among top NDA leaders, had fully supported Bihar Chief Minister and Janata Dal (United) supremo Nitish Kumar’s decision to part ways with the BJP in 2013. But when Nitish decided to return to the NDA in 2017, he vehemently opposed it. Sharad, who had lost from his traditional turf of Madhepura in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, had then just been rehabilitated by the JD(U) with a Rajya Sabha berth.

But taking Nitish head-on cost Sharad dearly. He was disqualified from the Upper House a few months later in the same year. Since then, he took legal course to get his Rajya Sabha membership restored but could not succeed as the JD (U) accused him of indulging in anti-party activities. Although Nitish never spoke publicly against him, but it was apparent that the JD(U) had bolted the door against the leader for whom Nitish used to visit Patna airport to receive him during his formative years in politics.

As regards Lalu and Sharad, it has always been a see-saw relationship. Lalu owes it to him for playing a key role in ensuring his appointment as the Bihar CM for the first time in 1990. It was Shyam Sunder Das who was the first choice of then Prime Minister VP Singh for the Bihar CM’s post, but Sharad ensured an internal party polls involving the three Janata Dal CM nominees, in which Lalu emerged as the winner. But in subsequent years, they also fought the Lok Sabha polls against each other from Madhepura, with each one losing once to the other.

Now that he has come a full circle in politics and is with the RJD, Sharad seems to be at a crossroads. Tejashwi regards him as an elder political figure, but Sharad’s politics lacking mass base has been on the wane. His outfit LJD did not contest any elections. And, he has to merge it with Lalu’s party to keep himself afloat politically.