With two Lok Sabha MPs, a berth in the central council of ministers, and an influence in many districts of western Uttar Pradesh, the Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) is now looking at magnifying the influence of its founder Chaudhary Charan Singh and also expand the party footprint in key places of the country.

The party, aided by organisations that work in the area of farmers’ welfare, has initiated a dedicated year-long campaign to highlight and amplify the contributions of Mr Singh, a former prime minister and the first non-congress chief minister of Uttar Pradesh. He was known as a champion of peasants and was instrumental in bringing about policies to improve the lives and conditions of farmers.

Various units of the RLD will commemorate the 122nd birth anniversary of Chaudhary Charan Singh, with a week-long celebration from December 17 to 23. This is also reflective of the party’s focus on bigger plans – expansion beyond the party’s western UP base among the Jat community.

The first of such commemorative events that centred around Chaudhary Charan Singh was held at Alwar on Monday, his birth anniversary. During the event, a statue of the late leader was unveiled. Union Minister Jayant Chaudhary and BJP leader and Union Minister Bhupender Yadav addressed the rally.

The party is working on another front – to not just establish and consolidate its position in Delhi but also have events in the capital centred around its leaders and icons that are seen as progressive and politically pertinent.

During the weekend, in a first, Chaudhary Charan Singh Awards were presented in a grand ceremony in Delhi, with an aim to celebrate the enduring legacy of Bharat Ratna Chaudhary Charan Singh, the fifth Prime Minister of India.

Instituted by the Kisan Trust, the awards honour significant contributions to rural development, agriculture, and social welfare, sectors close to Chaudhary Charan Singh’s heart, a statement of the Trust said.

Education minister Dharmendra Pradhan was the chief guest at the event and he spoke about the “timeless relevance” of Chaudhary Charan Singh’s ideas.

“His legacy inspires those working for the upliftment of India’s farmers and rural communities. It is heartening to see the awardees taking forward the Kisan Messiah’s message,” he said.

Those honoured at the event include Neerja Chowdhury, an eminent journalist, who received the Kalam Ratna Award for her exceptional coverage of the 2024 general elections. Rajendra Singh, the Waterman of India, was honored with the Sewa Ratna award for his pioneering efforts in water conservation.

Firoz Hossain, an eminent maize scientist, received the Krishak Utthan Puraskar for groundbreaking agricultural research under the Kisan Ratna Puraskar category.

Pritam Singh, an exemplary farmer, was awarded the Kisan Award under the Kisan Ratna Puraskar category for his sustainable farming practices.

Jayant Chaudhary, Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, said it was important to preserve Chaudhary Charan Singh’s legacy. “The Chaudhary Charan Singh Awards are a tribute to his vision, recognizing individuals driving progress in agriculture, rural development, and journalism.”

A Chaudhary Charan Singh AI Hackathon was announced as an initiative to preserve and promote his writings and vision among younger generations. This is among the events that the RLD has been pushing to ensure the party, its work and its supporters get their space in the political realm of the capital.

With an office in the heart of Lutyens’ Delhi, the party also made a mark recently when the Ranga Pravesha ceremony of Jayant Chaudhary’s daughter, a Kuchipudi dancer, had many VIPs in the audience, including Vice President Jagdeep Dhankar and Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal.

Bhupender Chaudhary, a close aide of Jayant Chaudhary, said the recipients of the awards were chosen by a jury of esteemed guests.

“Chaudhary Charan Singh was the principal architect of the UP Zamindari Abolition Act, and many other legislation that brought rights of farmers to the fore. RLD has always worked in the interest of farmers, and will continue to do the same in future. The awards are a recognition of the values that he stood for and honouring those who live by them,” Mr Chaudhary said.

While the RLD failed to make a strong mark from 2014 to 2022, even losing its traditional seats, the party managed to win nine of 33 seats in the 2022 Uttar Pradesh assembly election which it contested in alliance with Samajwadi Party. But it broke up with Samajwadi Party and the Opposition INDIA bloc to join the BJP-led NDA months before the Lok Sabha elections, and it managed a good showing in the recent Lok Sabha polls winning the two seats it contested.

Those in the know said while expansion within UP, including seven districts of eastern and central UP is what the party is targeting as part of its plan, the party is also making moves to expand its footprint in Jat dominated areas of Rajasthan.

Sources said they are aligned with AJGR (Ahir, Jat, Gurjar, and Rajput) formula conceptualised by party founder Chaudhary Charan Singh but now also encompasses the larger attempt of social justice, with the inclusion of Dalits.

“We are looking at the D-MAJGR (Dalit, Muslim, Ahir, Jaat, Gurjar, and Rajput) formula. There is no overlap with the BJP, our ally here, it is only an addition of value,” a functionary said.

Hyderabad:

Amid the BJP’s recent success in the Uttar Pradesh Assembly bypolls, where the party and its ally Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) secured seven of nine contested seats, a video showing gruesome violence has gone viral.

New Delhi:

Shahid Siddiqui, the national vice president of the Rashtriya Lok Dal, has resigned from the primary membership of the party and its post following the party’s merger with the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) ahead of the Lok Sabha elections.

Mr Siddiqui, in a post on X, said that he resigned from the party as he cannot “silently watch undermining of all the institutions which have united and made India one of the great nations of the world.”

Respected Jayantji,

We have worked together for 6 long years and have respect for each other. I, for one, look upon you more as a younger brother than a colleague. We have stood shoulder to shoulder on significant issues and at creating an atmosphere of brotherhood and respect…

— shahid siddiqui (@shahid_siddiqui) April 1, 2024

“Yesterday I resigned from the position of National Vice President of RLD & its membership. Me and my family stood up against Indira’s Emergency & today can’t silently watch undermining of all the institutions which have united & made India one of the great nations of the world. My regards & best wishes to @jayantrld & other colleagues in the party,” he said on Monday.

Jayant Chaudhary, after months of speculation, joined the NDA after the centre conferred his late grandfather and former prime minister Chaudhary Charan Singh with the Bharat Ratna.

The BJP which eyes Western UP with optimism, to achieve its ambitious target of 370 seats on its own, despite facing setbacks in the last elections, wants to consolidate its base among the Jats, which are the RLD’s core base, and place it ahead in at least seven seats in the region.

The Jat community has significant influence in a dozen Lok Sabha and around 40 Assembly seats in West UP. They are estimated to make up between 10 and 15 per cent of the population in some 15 districts but are socially dominant, vocal, and have the capacity to build a political atmosphere.

In 2014, the BJP secured 24 out of 27 seats in the region, which dwindled to 19 in 2019, with all eight seats going to the SP-BSP combine.

Mr Siddiqui, however, wrote a separate post for Jayant Chaudhary and hailed his “commitment to secularism and constitutional values”.

“Respected Jayantji, we have worked together for 6 long years and have respect for each other. I, for one, look upon you more as a younger brother than a colleague. We have stood shoulder to shoulder on significant issues and at creating an atmosphere of brotherhood and respect among different communities. No one can doubt your commitment to secularism and the Constitutional values we both cherish. From the time of your late grandfather, Bharat Ratna Choudhary Charan Singhji, your late father Ajit Singhji, and yourself–all of you, as indeed the party you created have stood for these values,” Siddiqui said.

He further said that the RLD becoming a part of the NDA puts him in a bind and a piquant situation.

“I have struggled long and hard in my mind and heart but find myself unable to be associated with an alliance headed by the BJP. I am aware of your political compulsions and am not in a position to advise you otherwise. But speaking for myself I am constrained to withdraw myself from this ongoing campaign, as indeed from the RLD,” the former RLD leader said.

“Kindly accept my resignation. As always wishing you all the very best in the forthcoming elections,” he added.
Lok Sabha polls will be held in seven phases beginning April 19. Uttar Pradesh, which sends the maximum number of MPs, 80, to Parliament, will vote in all seven phases.
With political dynamics shifting in the state, the BJP is spearheading a robust alliance, encompassing parties like RLD, SBSP, Apna Dal (S), and Nishad party bolstering its position.
On the other hand, while Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav aligns with the opposition bloc, Mayawati embarks on the electoral journey solo.
Voting for phases one and two will be held on April 19 and April 26. Next, the state will once again poll in phases three and four on May 7 and May 13. The Uttar Pradesh electorate will also vote in phases five, six and seven on May 20, May 23 and June 1 respectively. The votes will be counted on June 4.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Meerut:

Lashing out at the opposition INDIA bloc, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said the attacks on him will not stop the fight against corruption and action will be taken against those involved in graft irrespective of their status.

“When Modi is fighting the battle against corruption with full strength, these people have formed the INDI(A) alliance. They think they will intimidate Modi, but for me, my Bharat is my family and I am taking steps to protect it from the corrupt,” the Prime Minister said addressing his first rally in Uttar Pradesh after the announcement of the Lok Sabha election schedule.

PM Modi’s counter-offensive came as the stalwarts of the INDIA bloc held a rally at the Ramlila Maidan in New Delhi in support of AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal and JMM leader Hemant Soren, arrested on graft charges, and accused the prime minister of adopting dictatorial policies.

The Prime Minister said some people are rattled because he is taking action against corruption.

“I am fighting a big battle to save my country from the corrupt. That is why they are behind bars today and not getting bail even from the Supreme Court,” PM Modi said.

“The election is a fight between two camps. On one side you have the NDA committed to eradicating corruption, on the other side is the INDI(A) Alliance focused on protecting corrupt leaders. You have to decide whether corruption should be removed or not,” he said at the rally in Meerut.

“Corrupt people should listen… no matter how many attacks you make on Modi, this is Modi, he is not going to stop. No matter how big the corrupt person is, action will definitely be taken. The one who has looted the country will have to give it back. This is Modi’s guarantee,” he said.

Raising the Katchatheevu island issue, PM Modi accused the Congress and the opposition alliance of trying to harm the country’s unity and sovereignty.

“Today, yet another anti-India conduct of Congress has been exposed. The island of Katchatheevu, which lies between India and Sri Lanka and is extremely important from the perspective of national security, was given away by Congress after independence.

“India is still paying for the misdoings of the Congress government,” he said.

The 2024 Lok Sabha election is not just for making a government but to make a ‘Viksit Bharat’, PM Modi said, adding his government was preparing the roadmap for the next five years.

PM Modi praised Meerut as the land of “revolution and revolutionaries” that gave leaders like Chaudhary Charan Singh to the nation.

“Our government has already started preparations for the third term. We are making a roadmap for the coming five years. Work is going on rapidly on what major decisions we have to take in the first 100 days.

“In the last 10 years, you have seen only a trailer of development, now we have to take the country much further,” he said.

The prime minister said he has lived in poverty and “that is why Modi understands very well the sorrow of every poor, the pain of every poor, the suffering of every poor”.

“So I made schemes to address every concern of the poor. We have not only empowered the poor, but we have also given them back their self-respect,” PM Modi said.

Rashtriya Lok Dal president Jayant Chaudhary, who recently joined the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance, shared the dais with the prime minister at the rally.

Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh Yogi Adityanath, Haryana Chief Minister Naib Singh Saini along with veteran actor Arun Govil of TV serial ‘Ramayan’ fame, who is the BJP candidate in the Meerut Lok Sabha seat, were present at the rally.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)