Bihar: Former Speaker Uday Narayan Choudhary quits JD(U), Shayam Rajak may be Next




Shyam Rajak and Uday Narayan Choudhary (R)

Patna (Bihar), May 2, 2018 (TMC Desk) Senior ruling JD-U leader Uday Narain Choudhary, a former Speaker of the Bihar Assembly, on Wednesday said he was quitting the ruling Janata Dal-United (JD-U) to denounce the state government’s anti-Dalit policies.

I have resigned from the JD-U over the party leadership’s silence on increasing crime and atrocities against Dalits in Bihar and across the country. The government led by the party is also pursuing anti-Dalit policies,” the Dalit leader told the media.

Choudhary has expressed his displeasure with Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, the JD-U President, since he teamed up with the Bharatiya Janata Party.

Choudhary, once considered close to Nitish Kumar, said: “I was neglected, ignored and sidelined in the party and no attention was paid when I raised issues related to Dalits.”

In October last year, Uday Narayan Choudhary and Shyam Rajak, another stalwart of JD-U had a joint press conference in Patna and had accused Nitish Kumar of being Anti-Dalit.

Uday Narayan Choudhary was elected as an MLA from Imam Ganj several terms however lost to Jeetan Ram Manjhi in 2015 when Manjhi was in the NDA and Choudhary’s party was in alliance with the RJD.

Shyam Rajak is a fourth term MLA from Phulwari Sharif, an assembly constituency of Patna.  Shayam Rajak had started his political career with Rashtriya Janta Dal and was a close aide of Ram Kripal Yadav, a BJP minister now, when both were in the same party.

In recent times, Choudhary has joined hands with the RJD and former BJP leader Yaswant Sinha. On Tuesday, he led a march here in support of the Dalit cause.

Political assumptions are that Choudhary would join the RJD. Shyam Rajak may be next to follow former speaker.

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