FILE photo: RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav
Lalu Yadav has reportedly RSVPed his regrets on an invitation to share stage with Rahul Gandhi when the Congress Vice-President addresses a rally in Bihar later this week.
Mr Yadav, whose RJD is in an alliance with the Congress and the Janata Dal (United) for the Bihar elections, has said he cannot attend the rally as he is busy with other engagements that day, a senior leader of his party told news agency IANS.
The veteran politician has promised to send his son Tejaswi Yadav to represent him at the rally on Saturday, Mr Gandhi's first for the Bihar elections to be held from next month in five phases.
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar of the JD(U) is expected to attend Mr Gandhi's rally in West Champaran district.
Lalu Yadav was prominently present at a rally last month addressed by Rahul Gandhi's mother and Congress president Sonia Gandhi in Patna.
Mr Gandhi had recently ridden rough-shod over the objections of Lalu Yadav's party to their coalition projecting Nitish Kumar as its candidate for chief minister. Mr Gandhi cast his party's vote firmly in favour of fronting Mr Kumar, thereby handing him a more influential role within the alliance.
Lalu Yadav has, for years, been counted as one of the staunchest allies of the Congress and Sonia Gandhi. But he does not share the same warmth with Rahul Gandhi, who had two years ago, vetoed an ordinance to protect convicted lawmakers from disqualification. Lalu Yadav has been convicted in the multi-crore fodder scam and cannot contest elections.
In the 2010 Bihar elections, Mr Gandhi had spurned an alliance with Lalu Yadav and had fielded Congress candidates in all 243 seats. While the Congress could win only four seats, it also cut into Lalu Yadav's votes in many places. Nitish Kumar, then in alliance with the BJP, had registered a big victory.
The Congress in Bihar hopes to set aside the fraught history between the two leaders to project a united face when Rahul Gandhi comes visiting. "I am hopeful that Lalu-ji will attend the rally," said Bihar Congress chief Ashok Choudhary.