RLD state president quits, slams BJP and communal polarisation

Ramashish Rai has resigned as the Uttar Pradesh president of the Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD), accusing the party of abandoning its ideology by allying with the BJP. Rai said he learned about the BJP-RLD alliance from the media while accompanying Rahul Gandhi's Bharat Jodo Yatra in Varanasi in 2024.

Rai told Rediff.com that the BJP government is "sponsoring communal polarisation" and "weakening democracy." He alleged that corruption and communalism have peaked, and the government is buying out opposition MLAs and MPs. Rai also said the Nal Jal Yojana has failed, with households receiving bills but no water.

Rai took a swipe at RLD chief Jayant Chaudhary for choosing power over ideology after the BJP conferred the Bharat Ratna on Charan Singh. He claimed there is anger on the ground against the BJP and that people are awakening to its misrule.