Beware of Sting Operations! Lalu Warns RJD, Vows Zero Corruption

It’s Lalu 2.0 in Bihar. But can the charismatic party chief get his leaders to toe the party line?

Lalu Prasad Yadav is back to power in Bihar, but as a changed man.

Senior sources in his party, the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) tell The Quint that after the stellar mandate, Lalu summoned all 80 elected MLAs for a meeting on 13 November. During the meeting, he reportedly did some straight talking, warning his MLAs that they will need to be clean in order to survive in the coalition.

Lalu Prasad Yadav, sources say, has insisted on zero corruption. RJD MLAs have even been warned of internal sting operations in the new coalition.

The Quint was told that Lalu even warned his MLAs of sting operations that may be carried out against them by Nitish Kumar to keep them in line. He also made it clear that there will be zero tolerance to corruption and that maintaining law and order in Bihar will be top priority for the new government.

The people of Bihar will be hoping that this message will not fall on deaf ears, because data from the Association of Democratic Reforms (ADR) shows that RJD has the highest number of elected MLAs with criminal backgrounds. 49 of the 80 RJD MLAs face serious criminal charges as opposed to 37 of the JDU’s 71 MLAs.

49 of the 80 RJD MLA’s face serious criminal charges as opposed to 37 of the JDU’s 71 MLAs.

The charismatic politician has also repeatedly made it clear that the Nitish Kumar government will enjoy full autonomy and that there is no question of rocking the boat.

He has just survived extinction and he will not jeopardize his political fortune for anything.

RJD Sources to The Quint

Lalu is infamous for the brazen use of power in the 1990s. He was criticised severely for the ostentatious wedding of his daughter Misa at a time when Bihar was even more economically backward than it is now. He was also known to patronise criminals which earned the infamous ‘jungle raj’ tag. But sources say that Lalu is now harbouring national ambitions for 2019 and is very keen to alter perceptions.

Lalu Prasad Yadav has learnt from past mistakes, sources say, and that he will be keen to demonstrate that the days of jungle raj will not be coming back.

There is one danger, however. Lalu himself may be a changed man, but can he ensure that his ministers and leaders will toe the new party line? Expect that question to be answered very soon.