Ex-Bihar minister Shyam Rajak quits RJD, says he felt 'cheated'

Patna, August 22 (IANS) In a big blow to the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), former Bihar Cabinet minister and RJD national General Secretary Shyam Rajak resigned from the primary membership of the party on Thursday.

Rajak submitted his resignation to RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav, ending his four-year association with the party.

Rajak had rejoined the RJD from the JD(U) just before the Assembly elections in 2020 after he was sacked from the Bihar Cabinet. A prominent Dalit leader, Rajak had served as a minister in the RJD government in the past before leaving the party to join the JD(U) in 2009.

There were speculation that Rajak was mulling to leave the RJD, which his resignation confirmed on Thursday.

In his resignation letter, Rajak claimed that he felt "cheated" in the RJD.

In his resignation letter to Lalu Prasad, Rajak said, "Today, I resign from the position of National General Secretary and primary membership of the Rashtriya Janata Dal. I was not fond of a game of chess, hence I got cheated. You kept planning your moves, I kept caring about our relationship."

Despite his return to the party fold in 2020, Rajak was not given a ticket by the RJD, both during the Assembly elections that year and the Lok Sabha polls held earlier this year.

In August 2020, then Industries Minister and JD(U) national General Secretary Rajak was sacked from the state Cabinet and expelled from the party for six years over 'anti-party' activities.

Sources said the decision came in the backdrop of speculation that he might resign from the ministership and join the RJD as he was reportedly miffed with the JD(U) headed by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar.

He also reportedly had differences with Industries Secretary S. Siddharth over the functioning of the department.

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