"Suggestions" For Tejashwi Yadav, Including A Lalu Yadav Move, After Bihar Loss

Bihar's opposition Rashtriya Janata Dal, after two months of introspection into its crushing defeat in the assembly elections, has come up with a long list of causes. While the list is headed by the Nitish Kumar government's masterstroke of providing Rs 10,000 to women under various schemes, the list of RJD's mis-steps was topped by the perception that the party's top rung has distanced itself from the grassroot workers. 

Now, some suggestions have been given to Tejashwi Yadav, sources said. The chief among these is - going forward, he should open his doors to his party workers, supporters and the general public, as his father Lalu Yadav did all his life. Tejashwi Yadav should try to meet as many people as possible, his advisors have said. This, they said, can be done at the party office too - not necessarily at the family residence as his father did.

It has also been suggested that Tejashwi Yadav should embark on a "Bihar Dialogue Yatra" after February and tour the entire state. During the tour, he should meet block-level workers and listen to their concerns.

There are suggestions that he should also make some organizational changes, rebuild the party at the district level, and include castes other than Yadavs. He should also give opportunities to young people from all castes within the party.

The recommendations also emphasized that special care be taken to ensure that he does not come across as aggressive.

Sources said the RJD's introspection involved meeting with every poll candidate of the party and taking inputs from senior leaders. The committee that undertook this review and provided this report included leaders like Abdul Bari Siddiqui, Alok Mehta, and Uday Narayan Chaudhary. 

Sources said the RJD leaders also believe that one the biggest reasons for the defeat was the delay in ticket distribution. Not giving tickets to some leaders affected the seats in two or three districts.  There was also a delay in placating disgruntled leaders, which led to some people working against the party.  

Many leaders have also tried to blame the defeat on the use of Electronic Voting Machines and cited them as the main reason. Several leaders attributed the RJD's defeat to a group usually referred to as 'Four S'.

The reviewers have also recommended a more toned-down approach from the party's spokespersons. The leaders said that they should avoid being overly aggressive on television. Also, national-level spokespersons should speak on national issues, while state-level spokespersons should participate only in debates related to Bihar, sources said.