Patna: Senior RJD MLA, Bhai Virendra, has called for a major introspection within the party following its poor performance in the Bankipur Assembly bye-election, arguing that the party needs to rebuild its organisation and reconnect with voters at the grassroots level.
Speaking about the party’s current situation, Bhai Virendra said certain individuals in the inner circle of RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav should be removed, claiming that these leaders have become unpopular among the public.
“There are certain people around Tejashwi Yadav who need to be removed. The public is angry with them and uses even unparliamentary language against them. We need to rebuild the party from scratch, go among the people and reconnect with them. We accept that a major mistake was made on our part,” he said.
Bhai Virendra also offered his interpretation of the Bankipur result, claiming that the outcome reflected public dissatisfaction with the BJP and the NDA.
He said some voters who traditionally support the RJD may have voted for Jan Suraaj founder Prashant Kishor because they considered him the strongest candidate capable of defeating the BJP in the constituency.
According to him, the voting pattern should, therefore, not be viewed simply as a rejection of the RJD.
Instead, he argued that the party needs to examine why its traditional supporters felt compelled to shift their votes to another candidate.
The RJD MLA called for a comprehensive review of the party’s organisational structure and political strategy.
“The party had placed its trust in certain individuals, but some of those individuals had failed to live up to that trust. Their roles and responsibilities should therefore be reassessed,” he argued.
Bhai Virendra said capable, committed and hardworking leaders should be brought into the mainstream of the organisation and given greater proximity to the party’s top leadership.
Bhai Virendra also rejected the argument made by some JD(U) leaders that the BJP could have avoided defeat in Bankipur had former Chief Minister Nitish Kumar actively campaigned during the election.
He disagreed with the assessment, arguing that Nitish Kumar himself had played a major role in strengthening the BJP’s political position in Bihar.
According to Bhai Virendra, Nitish Kumar’s political partnership helped facilitate the BJP’s expansion in the state.
At the same time, he levelled serious allegations against the former Chief Minister, claiming that Bihar witnessed extremely high levels of corruption during Nitish Kumar’s tenure.
Bhai Virendra’s remarks indicate growing debate within the RJD over its organisational structure, leadership and electoral strategy following the Bankipur setback.
His call for an internal review could add to the pressure on the party leadership to reassess its approach ahead of future electoral battles.
(IANS)
