Rajya Sabha MP Ramchandra Prasad Singh has been unmously chosen as the national president of the Janata Dal (United) replacing Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar who held that office till now.
"RCP Singh's name was proposed by Nitish Kumar at the party's national council meeting. Subsequently, it was put up at the National Executive meeting after which RCP Singh was formally appointed as national president of JDU," sources said.
After being chosen as the national president, Singh while addressing the national executive meeting here said: " Nitish Kumar and I have been together for the last 23 years and I cherish the respect that he has accorded me. This is an emotional moment. Nitish ji had called me on March 19, 1998 when he became the Railway Minister and asked me to join him."
"The work that Nitish ji did as the Railway Minister is talked about even today. The work culture that he brought at that time in the ministry was commendable," he added.
In no uncertain terms, Singh targeted the opposition Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), without naming the party for its repeated barbs at the Bihar chief minister, saying that the cultured approach of JDU's politics should not be misconstrued as its weakness.
"People ask for resignation but our leader gives resignation on principles. Nitish ji had tendered his resignation when he was the Railway Minister. When JDU got two seats in the 2014 general elections, he had relinquished the post of chief minister and made Jitan Ram Manjhi the chief minister," he said.
"Our cultured approach to politics should not be misconstrued as our weakness. Nobody can shake us from our stand. If we support someone, we support them honestly. We don't indulge in scheming and betray someone. We are totally loyal towards our allies," he added.
Nitish Kumar was elected as the national president of JDU in 2019 for a period of three years but he relinquished the post today in favour of the bureaucrat-turned-politician RCP Singh.
Singh was serving as the general secretary of the party till now.
"Our party's national general secretary has assumed the post of national president of the party. The party workers are very happy and they will celebrate on this occasion. We will distribute 200 kg sweets amongst the people on this occasion," JDU party worker Chhotu Singh told .
"Our leader Nitish Kumar has declared that RCP Singh will become the new party president. The youth workers are very happy about this decision. RCP Singh has been looking after the affairs of the party for the last 12 years," JDU youth leader Rahul Khandelwal said.
JDU had called a party meeting to discuss, among other things, the recent defection of six of its MLAs to join BJP in Arunachal Pradesh.
( With inputs from ANI )
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