'Lalu Is Always Playing Chess Games'

'The RJD is a family centric party and its top leadership's main concern is only to promote the family.'

Shyam Rajak, 70, a former Bihar minister and five time MLA, joined the ruling Janata Dal-United on September 1, 2024 after quitting the Opposition Rashtriya Janata Dal last month.

Rajak, a Dalit leader who takes pride about his association with the Jayaprakash Narayan movement against the Emergency and his political training under the late prime minister Chandrasekhar, is likely to recommence his electoral politics at next year's Bihar assembly election after a gap of nearly a decade.

Rajak won the Phulwarisharif assembly seat five times and served as minister of industry in Nitish Kumar's government from 2010 to 2015. He was earlier energy minister in Rabri Devi's government.

Rajak, who is known for his amiable relationship with all political parties and their leaders, was close to both RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav and Nitish Kumar.

Shyam Rajak returned to the RJD in 2020 after resigning from the JD-U. Four years later, he is back in the JD-U.

"I felt cheated because Laluji was playing chess and I was too busy to maintain relationships without caring about his next moves," Shyam Rajak tells Rediff.com Senior Contributor M I Khan about his ghar wapsi. The first of a two-part interview:

Why did you return to the JD-U?

I was not comfortable in the RJD. There was suffocation and the party was moving and working away from its ideological line.

The RJD is a family centric party and its top leadership's main concern is only to promote the family, not party leaders and workers.

I respect and honour both Laluji and Nitishji, they are legendary leaders. But taking the political situation in the state and the country, I have rejoined the JD-U.

I would like to tell you one thing honestly -- some politicians keep socialist policies in books and files and other politicians follow socialist policies on the ground.

Taking this factor into consideration, I have decided to join hands with such a politician and stand with him and to work under his leadership.

I have returned to a party led by a leader who sticks to policies and works for the poor, backward and marginalised sections.

You started your electoral politics with Lalu Yadav in the 1990s, served as MLA and minister and joined the JD-U for the first time in 2009 and left the JD-U in 2020.

Our real house was the Janata Party. Later it was divided into different houses led by leaders who were closely associated with the JP movement.

I am a product of the JP movement and closely worked with top leaders of the movement including Chandrasekharji.

After the Janata Party ceased to exist I went with the Laluji led Janata Dal in Bihar in the early 1990s. When Laluji formed the Rashtriya Janata Dal I was with him.

It is true that I was elected as an MLA for the first time from Phulwarisharif in 1995 from Laluji's party. I won the seat in 2000 and twice in 2005 (February 2005 and November 2005). I also served as a minister during Rabriji's rule.

Later I contested and won the 2010 assembly election as a JD-U candidate and was a minister till 2015.

After that I joined the RJD in 2020 and worked with the party as national general secretary till I resigned from the primary membership on August 24, 2024.

I am in JD-U right now to strengthen Nitish Kumar's hands for the development of Bihar.

When you resigned from the RJD, you stated in your resignation letter to Lalu Prasad Yadav that you were cheated in the RJD.

As I stated, I am not fond of a game of chess. I felt cheated because Laluji was playing chess and I was too busy to maintain relationships without caring about his next moves.

Look, my decision to join the JD-U again was based on advice of my supporters and followers in Phulwarisharif, my constituency and karambhoomi. I am happy to return to the JD-U.

In the 2020 assembly election, the Phulwarisharif seat went to RJD ally the CPI (ML) whose candidate won.
The CPI(ML) MLA is likely to seek re-election from Phulwarisharif in next year's assembly polls so you had no chance to contest the polls if continued in the RJD.
Will you contest the 2025 assembly polls from Phulwarisharif as the JD-U candidate?

I have joined the JD-U with no condition. There is no agreement related to next year's assembly polls, I have not come here to get a ticket to contest polls next year.

Feature Presentation: Aslam Hunani/Rediff.com