Rashtriya Janata Dal
Encyclopedia
The Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD- "National People's Party") is a political party
in India
, based in the state of Bihar
. The party was founded in 1997 by Laloo Prasad Yadav. The party came about as a result of Lalu Prasad Yadav, ex-president of Janata Dal
, being evicted by Sharad Yadav
, the then president, on corruption charges ($250 million) over the farm support funds. The mass base of the party has traditionally been Yadavs and Muslim
s, two large and relatively politically active segments of Bihar's population. In 2008, RJD received the status of recognized national level party following its performance in north-eastern states. RJD was derocognised as a national party on 30 July 2010.
s, Brahmins and Rajput
s. This was more so in the Bhojpuri belt from which Lalu Yadav hails. The landed upper castes also dominated the civil and police administration. Despite reservations in government service, many OBC and SC people could not avail of it because of the poor state of basic primary and secondary eeducation in Bihar. The powerful castes mainly supported the Congress Party in rural areas and the Jan Sangh in urban areas. Coming from an impoverished family of cattle herders and small farmers of the backward and aggressive Yadav
caste, Lalu wanted to gain in political influence for his community and had a sense of hatred towards the Hathwa Raj
, hereditary Bhumihar landed magnates of Gopalaganj and Siwan. He and others of his ilk, like Sharad Yadav
, Nitish Kumar
and Ram Vilas Paswan
lashed on to the opportunity provided by JP Narayan's anti-emergency movement. The emergency was a period of Congress dictatorship, which indirectly implied upper-caste dictatorship, in Bihar, In the 1977 State and National elections, backward caste candidates triumphed in most constituencies.
In the late 1980s, due to the Ram Janmabhoomi movement, Muslims throughout North India were feeling insecure. Muslims constituted about 20 % of Bihar's population. They were traditionally politically active but were backward in educationas well as economically. Thus Lalu Yadav sought an alliance with sections of the community.
In the March 1998 national elections, RJD won 17 Lok Sabha
seats from Bihar but failed to make significant headway in any other state. Later that year, the party formed an alliance with Mulayam Singh Yadav
's Samajwadi Party
as an anti-BJP secular coalition but the coalition failed in garnering any widespread support.
In the October 1999 elections, RJD fought the election in alliance with Congress but lost 10 Lok Sabha seats including the seat of Lalu Prasad Yadav. In the 2000 state elections, however, it performed unexpectedly well - winning a majority of the seats in the state assembly. Continuing its upswing in electoral fortunes, the party won 21 Lok Sabha seats in the 2004 elections that it fought in alliance with Congress. The pendulum swung back, however, next year and the party had to relinquish power in the 2005 state elections after winning only 75 seats. In the state elections held later that year - as a result of no party being able to form a government - RJD continued its downward slide losing 21 seats.
In the general election
of April–May 2009, the RJD had a disastrous result, dropping down to just 4 seats, all of them in Bihar.
s Laloo Yadav and then Rabri Devi
, Laloo's wife, but after the elections in February 2005, the state of Bihar
came under President's Rule
through Governor of Bihar Sardar
Buta Singh. Since then, a new election has brought the NDA
to power in the state. The RJD is no longer a member of India's governing coalition
led by the Congress Party
. The party was in alliance with Ram Vilas Paswan
's Lok Janshakti Party
and Mulayam Singh Yadav
's Samajwadi Party
forming what the media has dubbed the "Fourth Front". However, in 2010 Assembly election, the RJD did not continue their alliance with Samajwadi Party.
Political party
A political party is a political organization that typically seeks to influence government policy, usually by nominating their own candidates and trying to seat them in political office. Parties participate in electoral campaigns, educational outreach or protest actions...
in India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, based in the state of Bihar
Bihar
Bihar is a state in eastern India. It is the 12th largest state in terms of geographical size at and 3rd largest by population. Almost 58% of Biharis are below the age of 25, which is the highest proportion in India....
. The party was founded in 1997 by Laloo Prasad Yadav. The party came about as a result of Lalu Prasad Yadav, ex-president of Janata Dal
Janata Dal
Janata Dal is an Indian political party which was formed through the merger of Janata Party factions, the Lok Dal, Congress, and the Jan Morcha led by V. P...
, being evicted by Sharad Yadav
Sharad Yadav
Sharad Yadav, a politician from the Janata Dal party, is currently a Member of the Parliament of India representing the Madhepura constituency of Bihar in the Lok Sabha...
, the then president, on corruption charges ($250 million) over the farm support funds. The mass base of the party has traditionally been Yadavs and Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
s, two large and relatively politically active segments of Bihar's population. In 2008, RJD received the status of recognized national level party following its performance in north-eastern states. RJD was derocognised as a national party on 30 July 2010.
RJD Officer Bihar Unite
- National President- Lalu Prasad YadavLalu Prasad YadavLalu Prasad Yadav is an Indian politician from Bihar. He was the Minister of Railways from 2004 to 2009 in the ruling United Progressive Alliance government, and the President of the Rashtriya Janata Dal political party...
, Ex-Chief Minister Of Bihar, Ex-Railway Minister for India. - Leader of the Opposition, Bihar Vidhan Sabha - Md.Abdul Bari Siddqui
- Leader Of the Opposition, Bihar Vidhan Parishad - Prof. Ghulam Gaus
- Bihar State President - Dr.Ramchandra Purve
- Jharkhand State President - Girinath Singh
- General Secretary - Shiv Nath Yadav Alias Baban Yadav
- National Secretary - Ramkripal Yadav
- National Spokes Person- Md. Iliyas Hussain
RJD Member Of Parliament
- Lalu Prasad YadavLalu Prasad YadavLalu Prasad Yadav is an Indian politician from Bihar. He was the Minister of Railways from 2004 to 2009 in the ruling United Progressive Alliance government, and the President of the Rashtriya Janata Dal political party...
Member Of Loksabha - Raghuvansh Prasad SinghRaghuvansh Prasad SinghDr. Raghuvansh Prasad Singh is a member of the 15th Lok Sabha of India. He represents the Vaishali constituency of Bihar and is a member of the Rashtriya Janata Dal. He was the Union Cabinet Minister for Rural Development in the first cabinet of Dr Manmohan Singhs Government...
Member Of Loksabha - Jagdanand Singh Member Of Loksabha
- Uma Shankar Singh Member Of Loksabha
- Ram Kripal Yadav, Member Of Rajyasabha
- Rajniti Prasad, Member of Rajyasabha
- Prem Chand Gupta, Member Of Rajyasabha
- Prof. Zabir Hussain, Member Of Rajyasabha
Ideological grounding
For a long time in Bihar, political activity was a privilege and the prerogative of the landed and upper castes particularly BhumiharBhumihar
Bhumihar or Babhan or Bhuin-har is a Brahmin Hindu community mainly found in the Indian states of Bihar, Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh and Bundelkhand region of Madhya Pradesh.- Varna status :...
s, Brahmins and Rajput
Rajput
A Rajput is a member of one of the patrilineal clans of western, central, northern India and in some parts of Pakistan. Rajputs are descendants of one of the major ruling warrior classes in the Indian subcontinent, particularly North India...
s. This was more so in the Bhojpuri belt from which Lalu Yadav hails. The landed upper castes also dominated the civil and police administration. Despite reservations in government service, many OBC and SC people could not avail of it because of the poor state of basic primary and secondary eeducation in Bihar. The powerful castes mainly supported the Congress Party in rural areas and the Jan Sangh in urban areas. Coming from an impoverished family of cattle herders and small farmers of the backward and aggressive Yadav
Yadav
Yādav refers to an umbrella group of traditionally non-elite pastoral communities, or castes, in India and Nepal which since the nineteenth and twentieth centuries has claimed descent from the mythological King Yadu as a part of a movement of social and political resurgence.The term 'Yadav' now...
caste, Lalu wanted to gain in political influence for his community and had a sense of hatred towards the Hathwa Raj
Hathwa Raj
Hathwa Raj was a zamindari belonging to Bhumihar Brahmins which encompassed 1,365 villages, was inhabited by more than 391,000 people, and produced an annual rental of almost a million rupees. It is located in the Saran Division of Bihar....
, hereditary Bhumihar landed magnates of Gopalaganj and Siwan. He and others of his ilk, like Sharad Yadav
Sharad Yadav
Sharad Yadav, a politician from the Janata Dal party, is currently a Member of the Parliament of India representing the Madhepura constituency of Bihar in the Lok Sabha...
, Nitish Kumar
Nitish Kumar
Nitish Kumār is an Indian politician currently serving as Chief Minister of Bihar, an eastern state of India. He leads the Janata Dal party...
and Ram Vilas Paswan
Ram Vilas Paswan
Ram Vilas Paswan is the president of the Lok Janshakti Party and a Rajya Sabha MP.-Early life and education:Paswan was born to a Dusadh family...
lashed on to the opportunity provided by JP Narayan's anti-emergency movement. The emergency was a period of Congress dictatorship, which indirectly implied upper-caste dictatorship, in Bihar, In the 1977 State and National elections, backward caste candidates triumphed in most constituencies.
In the late 1980s, due to the Ram Janmabhoomi movement, Muslims throughout North India were feeling insecure. Muslims constituted about 20 % of Bihar's population. They were traditionally politically active but were backward in educationas well as economically. Thus Lalu Yadav sought an alliance with sections of the community.
Electoral Performance
Lok Sabha
The Lok Sabha or House of the People is the lower house of the Parliament of India. Members of the Lok Sabha are elected by direct election under universal adult suffrage. As of 2009, there have been fifteen Lok Sabhas elected by the people of India...
seats from Bihar but failed to make significant headway in any other state. Later that year, the party formed an alliance with Mulayam Singh Yadav
Mulayam Singh Yadav
Mulayam Singh Yadav in Hindi मुलायम सिंह यादव is an Indian politician and has influence mainly in Uttar Pradesh state of India...
's Samajwadi Party
Samajwadi Party
Samajwadi Party is a political party in India. It is based in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. It describes itself as a democratic socialist party...
as an anti-BJP secular coalition but the coalition failed in garnering any widespread support.
In the October 1999 elections, RJD fought the election in alliance with Congress but lost 10 Lok Sabha seats including the seat of Lalu Prasad Yadav. In the 2000 state elections, however, it performed unexpectedly well - winning a majority of the seats in the state assembly. Continuing its upswing in electoral fortunes, the party won 21 Lok Sabha seats in the 2004 elections that it fought in alliance with Congress. The pendulum swung back, however, next year and the party had to relinquish power in the 2005 state elections after winning only 75 seats. In the state elections held later that year - as a result of no party being able to form a government - RJD continued its downward slide losing 21 seats.
In the general election
Indian general election, 2009
India held general elections to the 15th Lok Sabha in five phases between 16 April 2009 and 13 May 2009. With an electorate of 714 million , it was the largest democratic election in the world to date.By constitutional requirement, elections to the Lok Sabha must be...
of April–May 2009, the RJD had a disastrous result, dropping down to just 4 seats, all of them in Bihar.
Rule
It held power in the Indian state of Bihar, under the Chief MinisterChief Minister
A Chief Minister is the elected head of government of a sub-national state, provinces of Sri Lanka, Pakistan, notably a state of India, a territory of Australia or a British Overseas Territory that has attained self-government...
s Laloo Yadav and then Rabri Devi
Rabri Devi
Rabri Devi served three terms as the Chief Minister, of Bihar, India, as a member of the Rashtriya Janata Dal political party, between 1997 and 2005...
, Laloo's wife, but after the elections in February 2005, the state of Bihar
Bihar
Bihar is a state in eastern India. It is the 12th largest state in terms of geographical size at and 3rd largest by population. Almost 58% of Biharis are below the age of 25, which is the highest proportion in India....
came under President's Rule
President's rule
President's rule is the term used in India when a state legislature is dissolved or suspended and the state is placed under direct federal rule...
through Governor of Bihar Sardar
Sardar
Sardar is a title of Indo-Aryan origin that was originally used to denote feudal princes, noblemen, and other aristocrats. It was later applied to indicate a Head of State, a Commander-in-chief, and an Army military rank...
Buta Singh. Since then, a new election has brought the NDA
NDA
NDA is an abbreviation that may refer to:* National Dance Association, the oldest American organization for dance education* National Defence Academy , a military academy in India...
to power in the state. The RJD is no longer a member of India's governing coalition
United Progressive Alliance
The United Progressive Alliance is a ruling coalition of center-left political parties heading the government of India. The coalition is led by the Indian National Congress , which is currently the single largest political party in the Lok Sabha...
led by the Congress Party
Indian National Congress
The Indian National Congress is one of the two major political parties in India, the other being the Bharatiya Janata Party. It is the largest and one of the oldest democratic political parties in the world. The party's modern liberal platform is largely considered center-left in the Indian...
. The party was in alliance with Ram Vilas Paswan
Ram Vilas Paswan
Ram Vilas Paswan is the president of the Lok Janshakti Party and a Rajya Sabha MP.-Early life and education:Paswan was born to a Dusadh family...
's Lok Janshakti Party
Lok Janshakti Party
The Lok Jan Shakti Party is a state political party in the state Bihar , India. It is led by Ram Vilas Paswan. The party was formed in 2000 when Paswan split from Janata Dal . The party has considerable following amongst Dalits in Bihar. The 2004 Lok Sabha elections marked a major break-through for...
and Mulayam Singh Yadav
Mulayam Singh Yadav
Mulayam Singh Yadav in Hindi मुलायम सिंह यादव is an Indian politician and has influence mainly in Uttar Pradesh state of India...
's Samajwadi Party
Samajwadi Party
Samajwadi Party is a political party in India. It is based in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. It describes itself as a democratic socialist party...
forming what the media has dubbed the "Fourth Front". However, in 2010 Assembly election, the RJD did not continue their alliance with Samajwadi Party.