RJD veteran joins JD(U)

The JD(U) received a shot in the arm today with eight-time MLA and former RJD minister Ramai Ram, his daughter Geeta Kumari and hundreds of their supporters joining the party.
    
Ram and Geeta, a former RJD MLC, took the primary membership of JD(U) in the presence of chief minister Nitish Kumar and Bihar JD(U) chief Rajiv Ranjan Singh Lalan.
    
Ram, MLA from Bochaha and senior member in Lalu-Rabri cabinet for over 13 years, had quit RJD and switched over to Congress along with Lalu Prasad's high-profile brother-in-law Anirudh Prasad alias Sadhu Yadav.
    
He had unsuccessfully fought the Lok Sabha elections on a Congress ticket from Gopalganj and had recently resigned from it charging its state leaders of a conspiracy to defeat him.
     
Ram criticised Lalu Prasad for 'supressing' his political abilities and not sending him to Lok Sabha where he wanted to raise the cause of dalits and extremely backwards.
    
Describing LJP chief Ramvilas Paswan as s 'hawai neta' (a leader without mass support), Ram alleged he was a self-seeker and instead of representating the cause of dalits nurtured his political ambitions to cling to power.
     
Kumar in his turn said Ram would be a strength of JD(U) and his stand on ensuring development with justice had caused many leaders of opposition parties, including RJD to join his party. They included Capt Jainarain Nishad, Mangani Lal Ramndal and Shyam Rajak.