In a jolt to the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) ahead of the Bihar Assembly elections, senior party leader Raghunath Jha on Thursday resigned from his post and membership of the party, accusing party president Lalu Prasad of ignoring senior leaders and focusing on his family.
Considered the Brahmin face of the RJD, 76-year-old Jha, who was a former minister of state for Heavy Industries and Public Enterprise, said he is joining Samajwadi Party (SP).
In a letter to Prasad, Jha said, “I have been with you through thick and thin for the last 25 years. But, seeing your behaviour these days towards party workers and neglect towards me, I am resigning from the primary membership of the party and the post of its national vice-president.”
Jha, a member of the 14th Lok Sabha from Bettiah constituency, accused Prasad of indulging in ‘family politics’ at the cost of party workers and senior leaders.