Madhepura MP Pappu Yadav expelled from RJD, may join hands with BJP

Patna: The Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) on Thursday expelled Madhepura MP Rajesh Ranjan alias Pappu Yadav for six years for anti-party activities amid speculation that he may join hands with BJP ahead of Bihar Assembly elections.

Confirming this, RJD state president Ramchandra Purve said, "Pappu Yadav was expelled after the party last month served a show-cause notice to him for his anti-party activities."

Reacting to news of his expulsion, Pappu told ANI, "On one hand you (RJD) want to stop communalism. And on other hand you want to expel me because I said correct things." 

RJD had last week issued a show cause notice to Pappu Yadav over his "anti-party activities" and sought reply within 15 days, but the Lalu Prasad Yadav-led party expedited his expulsion.

RJD National Principal General Secretary Ramdeo Bhandari had issued the notice to Pappu Yadav.

Besides accusing Pappu Yadav of acting against policies of the RJD, it charged him with issuing statement against party chief Lalu Prasad.

The RJD has decided to support the Nitish Kumar government to safeguard Bihar from communal forces, "but you have been making appeal to party MLAs in favour of expelled JD(U) leader and former CM Jitan Ram Manjhi and even inducing Legislators in his favour", the notice said.

Yadav also allegedly used photo of Prasad without permission in the programmes of Yuva Shakti, an organisation set up by him, with which RJD has no links, it said.

Yadav recently raised the issue of who will succeed Prasad, to which the party chief bluntly none but his son would be his heir.

The notice asked the MP why a disciplinary action will not be initiated against him for anti-party activities and gave him 15 days time to reply.

Pappu Yadav had said, "I will reply to it after studying the charges in the show cause notice."

He, however, said he always paid respect to Prasad and would continue to do so.

"I will continue to respect Lalu Prasad till I remain in politics," said the RJD Madhepura MP, who had trounced JD(U) chief Sharad Yadav in the last general election.

According to party leaders, RJD president Lalu Prasad was upset with Pappu Yadav for his repeated statements that were not only against the party but challenged the party chief`s politics.

In February, Pappu Yadav said he would succeed Lalu Prasad as the RJD chief.

He has already opposed the RJD chief`s announcement of the likely merger of the six parties of the erstwhile Janata Parivar.

In the last few weeks, Pappu Yadav met former chief minister Jitan Ram Manjhi and appealed to Lalu Prasad and Janata Dal-United leader and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar to sink their "pride and ego" and invite Manjhi to the newly formed Janata Parivar.

Pappu Yadav is the Lok Sabha member from Madhepura parliamentary constituency and his wife Ranjit Ranjan is the Congress MP from Supaul district in Bihar.

In 2013, the Patna High Court acquitted Yadav for the murder of Communist Party of India-Marxist leader Ajit Sarkar in May 1998 due to lack of evidence.

(With PTI Inputs)