Rebels' ultimatum to Laloo Yadav

By Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI, MAY 3. The Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) rebels today served an ultimatum on the party president, Mr. Laloo Prasad Yadav, to make a choice between accepting the expelled party MP, Dr. Ranjan Prasad Yadav, as the new leader or his ouster.

Promising to topple the Rabri Devi government in Bihar within this month, the RJD rebels and three MPs who broke away

from the party in the Lok Sabha expressed willingness to call

off their agitation provided Mr. Laloo Yadav replaces Chief Minister Ms. Rabri Devi with Dr. Ranjan Yadav and not by a member of his family.

Addressing a press conference here the RJD MPs, Mr. Nagmani, Mr. Sukhdeo Paswan, Mr. Anwarul Haque, Dhammo Viriyo and Mrs. Kum Kum Rai, claimed the dissidents had also garnered strength to split the eight-member RJD in Rajya Sabha.

``We will return to Bihar by May 11 and between May 20 and 22, a new government would be installed. Before that we will also split in the Rajya Sabha,'' the party MPs said, asserting that Mr. Laloo Yadav was isolated in the Parliamentary wing with only Mr. Vijay Singh Yadav standing by.

Mr. Nagmani, Dr. Ranjan Yadav and Dhammo Viriyo were expelled by Mr. Laloo Prasad Yadav from the party last Saturday. Mr. Nagmani joined hands with Mr. Haque and Paswan to split the RJD in Lok Sabha and sought recognition as RJD (Democratic), branding Mr. Laloo Yadav style of functioning as `dictatorial'.

However, the dissidents and rebels claimed the real issue was `development' of Bihar to which their leader, Dr. Ranjan Yadav, was committed and not to grab power.

The RJD rebels claimed they were not in touch with the NDA and offer of support from Samata, Janata Dal (United) and Lok Janshakti was 'unconditional' as these parties too shared the vision on development of the State.

The leaders also denied charges levelled by the RJD spokesman, Mr. Shivanand Tiwari, that the three MPs had collected money from the BJP for effecting a split in RJD Parliamentary wing and the legislative wing in Bihar. They also threatened to file a defamation case against Mr. Tiwari and offered to quit politics if the RJD spokesman could prove the charge.

Although the rebels have denied being in touch with NDA allies, some of the expelled MPs were in constant contact with senior leaders of the BJP and allies, like Mr. Nitish Kumar, Mr. Ram Vilas Paswan and Mr. Sharad Yadav.

Meanwhile at Mr. Vijay Singh Yadav's press conference, where no other party MP considered loyal to Mr. Laloo Yadav was present, he claimed the Parliamentary wing was with the RJD Chief.

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