Lalan Singh tendered his resignation from the national presidency of the Janata Dal-United, confirming the swirling speculations that had gripped the week. Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar once again assumed leadership as the 2024 Lok Sabha elections loomed closer.
Insider information obtained by India Today TV revealed that Nitish Kumar had been contemplating Lalan Singh's removal from office for several days. The motives behind Nitish's strategic planning emerged from discussions with sources close to India Today TV, unveiling a narrative steeped in secrecy.
The tale unfurls with a clandestine rendezvous between Lalan Singh and the Rashtriya Janata Dal's (RJD) Lalu Prasad, culminating in a covert plot to place Lalu's son, Tejashwi, as Bihar's Chief Minister.
It all commenced with the perceived affinity between Lalan Singh and RJD's stalwart, Lalu Prasad, which had been evolving over recent months. Although Nitish Kumar was aware of this connection, initially, he refrained from taking action.
The saga's opening chapter transpired when Lalan Singh, alongside a senior Bihar minister aligned with Nitish Kumar, proposed an unconventional arrangement: suggesting Nitish Kumar assume the role of Deputy Chief Minister while Tejashwi Yadav, Lalu's son and the current Deputy, ascend to the CM's position.
Attempting to persuade Nitish Kumar to step down after an 18-year tenure, Lalan Singh advocated for a transfer of power. However, Nitish rejected the proposition outright, refusing to accede to the idea of Tejashwi Yadav becoming Chief Minister.
Faced with Nitish Kumar's refusal to entertain the proposal involving Tejashwi Yadav, Lalan Singh embarked on a mission to fragment the Janata Dal-United.
Sources revealed a clandestine assembly of approximately 12 Janata Dal-United MLAs held a few weeks ago. The clandestine meeting revolved around a pact between Lalan Singh and Lalu Prasad, outlining a plan for Tejashwi Yadav's ascent to the Chief Minister's seat with the support of these 10-12 MLAs.
This covert agreement stipulated that Lalan Singh would assist in orchestrating Tejashwi Yadav's governance by coaxing away around 12 JDU MLAs, in exchange for which the RJD would secure him a place in the Rajya Sabha.
The pact hinged on the numerical strength of parties in the 243-seat Bihar Assembly. The combined MLAs of the ruling alliance, including RJD (79), Congress (19), CPIML (12), CPI (2), CPM (2), and Independent (1), totalled 115, while JDU had 45 MLAs.
In this scenario, Tejashwi Yadav required merely 7 additional MLAs to secure the Chief Minister's post without JDU's support, a task assigned to Lalan Singh by disbanding the JDU.
If successful, Lalan Singh would have been propelled to the Rajya Sabha in place of RJD's Manoj Jha, whose membership was due to end in April the following year.
However, a hurdle emerged: the risk of disqualification faced by the dozen-odd JDU MLAs supporting Tejashwi under the anti-defection law. To circumvent this, the plan involved Lalan Singh exploiting his position as JDU's national president to expel these MLAs, ensuring their Assembly membership remained intact.
These expelled MLAs, not disqualified, were to promptly assume ministerial positions upon Tejashwi Yadav's ascendancy as Chief Minister.
Crucially, the role of the Assembly Speaker, Avadh Bihari Chaudhary, an RJD MLA, held significant weight in this strategy. Lalan Singh maintained constant communication with Chaudhary, envisioning his crucial role in recognizing the dozen JDU MLAs, paving the way for a swift establishment of a new government in Bihar.
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