Onkarnath Jaiswal. Picture by Uma Shankar Dubey

Jamshedpur, April 6: He was once Laloo Prasad Yadav’s “blue-eyed boy” in south Bihar (now Jharkhand). But industrialist and politician Onkarnath Jaiswal, has come a long way since the time he flourished under the patronage of the RJD chief.

He was chosen by the RJD chief to contest the 1998 Lok Sabha election from Jamshedpur.

It was another matter that Jaiswal did not shower himself with political glory, finishing way behind outgoing BJP MP Abha Mahto and Russi Mody.

This time, however, Jaiswal has found his way into the camp of another Yadav heavyweight, Mulayam Singh Yadav, and will contest from Jamshedpur on a Samajwadi Party (SP) ticket. Once adept at singing paeans to the “Raja of Bihar”, Jaiswal now has few qualms about tearing into the RJD chief’s policies.

A few months ago, when Mulayam visited Patna, Jaiswal was at the forefront of a behind-the-scenes anti-Laloo lobby. Jaiswal’s close political friend, Shanker Prasad Tekriwal, played a crucial role in cementing his new relationship with Mulayam. Tekriwal, former Bihar finance minister in the RJD government, is now a known Laloo-baiter. Local RJD leaders brand Jaiswal an “opportunist” and contend that he deserted Laloo only because the RJD leadership was not interested to contest from the seat this time. They recalled a time when the RJD chief would invariably search out his trusted aide every time he visited the city. Laloo had come to Jaiswal’s aid on more than on occasion when his adversaries tried to dethrone him from his post of RJD East Singhbhum district chief.

It was the RJD president who scuttled the moves and ensured Jaiswal remained on the post.

But Jaiswal defends his decision. “I would have joined hands with Mulayam anyway. I joined now as I was approached to contest the poll on an SP ticket.”

He claimed his move was prompted by differences he had with Laloo over the party’s involvement in Jharkhand.

“I have always insisted that Laloo strengthen the party in Jharkhand. Despite his assurances, RJD is in a shambles in Jharkhand. Is it logical to continue with the RJD?” he asked.

Jaiswal also questioned the party’s decision to contest just two Lok Sabha seats in state. “It goes to show how serious Laloo is about RJD’s prospects in the state. RJD is going to fade into oblivion in Jharkhand,” Jaiswal predicted.

He blamed the infighting in the state RJD camp for the disarray. “But you cannot blame the state leaders alone. When the party president himself is not interested in the health of the organisation, what can you expect?” the new Samajwadi Party leader said.

But the unkindest cut of all, was his dig at Laloo’s national stature. “Mulayam is a leader of national standing. He has greater clout than Laloo. The Samajwadi Party is trying to make inroads in other states of the country. The RJD, however, has not looked beyond Bihar,” he said.