9 RJD MLAs admit to signing letter for quitting party

PATNA: Nine of the 13 rebel RJD MLAs who returned to the party fold submitted a letter to the assembly secretariat in which they have in principle admitted signing the earlier letter on basis of which speaker Udai Narain Choudhary granted them as unattached status in the assembly.

The letter to the speaker saying they have not quit RJD asserted, "We were conned to sign the so-called letter on basis of which a notification was issued by the secretariat. We request you to withdraw that notification."

A senior JD(U) leader said the admission has been made by the legislators who are senior politicians and holding responsible post. "How could they say that they were conned and they realized it only when they were coerced by RJD leadership," he said and added tomorrow these nine MLAs might say that they were made to sign the new letter under duress.

Even as RJD supremo Lalu Prasad, who rushed back from Delhi on Tuesday, tried hard to collect the pieces of his lantern's glass apparently pierced by JD(U)'s arrow, the ruling party said let Lalu wage a war but first he should bring his house in order for his own survival. "If he fails, we will take advantage (of the situation)," said parliamentary affairs minister Bijendra Prasad Yadav with a pinch of sarcasm.

Denying any role of JD(U) or chief minister Nitish Kumar's in RJD turmoil as charged by Lalu, Yadav said, "If his house is shattering he should ponder over why it is happening. It were his MLAs who signed a petition to the assembly speaker." He aid speaker's order cannot be challenged in any court of law and added that this was his interim order and not the final.

Incidentally, both speaker Choudhary and minister Yadav worked as ministers under Lalu. Choudhary even served as state president of RJD.

Making fun of Lalu's call for war, Yadav said it would not be possible by those who could not keep their party intact. "If his MLAs are not satisfied with him and feeling suffocated in RJD, how can we help Lalu. But we will not back out if he wages a war against us," he said.