Rashtriya Janata Dal leader Tejashwi Yadav kicked off his Mission Jharkhand campaign from Ranchi on Sunday to strengthen the party that has seen its support base shrink ever since the state was carved out of Bihar in 2000 with the RJD now reduced to only one MLA .

As a part of the campaign, Tejashwi held a state-level meeting with party workers from all 24 districts of Jharkhand at a banquet hall in Dibdih. The meeting began post noon and went on for about four hours.

Earlier in the day, Tejashwi also met with chief minister Hemant Soren at his residence and called upon newly-appointed state Congress president Rajesh Thakur.

Tejashwi asked all RJD workers present to revive the party in Jharkhand. “RJD is not just a party for Muslims and Yadavs, as being touted by some. We are a party with secular ideals to cater to all. The country cannot prosper unless old Bihar (Jharkhand) does not progress. And RJD will have a great role in that,” he said, announcing that along with Bihar, his focus would now be on strengthening the party in Jharkhand.

“I have decided to come here every month to meet, talk and discuss with you all on our mission,” he said.

Tejashwi also advised workers to focus on reviving the party rather than lobby for posts. “Posts will follow if the party is strengthened. Netaon ka parikrama nai, janta ka parikrama pe jor dena hai (Rather than lobby before leaders, we must focus on working among the masses),” he said.

Taking a dig at the BJP-led government at the Centre, he said that for the last seven years the nation has been divided on the lines of religion, while the common man has burdened with price hikes. “The promise of achche din is still a dream,” he said. “There was a time when the BJP was in Opposition, and it likened price hike to a dian (witch). Now, after coming to power, it seems that inflation has become BJP’s mebooba (beloved) and bhaujai (sister in law),” he added.

Later, RJD’s state spokesperson Anita Yadav told The TelegraphOnline that Tejashwi's visit had enthused everyone in the party. “Our leader will now visit Jharkhand every month, going to each of the 81 Assembly constituencies to hold similar meets there. We have already begun a membership drive with a target to add 10 lakh new workers," she said.

Tejashwi, former Bihar chief minister and RJD patriarch Lalu Prasad's younger son, reached Ranchi on Saturday afternoon and held a road show from the airport to the state guest house, paying his obeisance to statues of late Karpuri Thakur and tribal icon Bhagwan Birsa Munda on the way.

After Jharkhand was carved out of Bihar in 2000, RJD had nine MLAs. In 2005, the number of RJD MLAs was reduced to seven. It became five in 2009. Now, RJD has only one MLA, Satyanand Bhokta, who is a minister in the Hemant Soren-led coalition government of Jharkhand.