The RJD suffered a jolt on Thursday after its national general secretary and former Bihar minister Shyam Rajak resigned, claiming betrayal by party president Lalu Prasad. He is expected to join chief minister Nitish Kumar’s JDU.

Rajak, who is also the national president of Akhil Bharatiya Dhobi Mahasangh, a national-level federation of washermen, addressed his resignation letter to Lalu saying that he was resigning from the post of the RJD national general secretary and the party’s primary membership.

He ended it saying: “I was betrayed because I was not fond of playing chess. You were making the moves, I was caring about the relationship.”

After resigning, Rajak lamented the lack of development in his Assembly constituency Phulwari Sharif, which is reserved for Scheduled Castes. He said that even the people of the area were unhappy about it.

“I have done politics with principles. It was a sin for me to think about any other party while I was with the RJD. However, various options are open for me after resigning. I will consider joining a party that will take ahead my vision regarding development,” Rajak told reporters.

Sources said he intends to join the JDU with eyes on the Assembly elections due next year. He had approached Nitish and met him recently.

Rajak’s career peaked during the RJD regime between 1990 and 2005 in Bihar. He rose to become a minister and a recognisable Dalit leader of the state. He joined the JDU in 2009 after the rise of Nitish and became a minister in 2010.

He quit the JDU before the 2020 Assembly elections and joined the RJD, but he was not given a ticket as the seat went to the CPI-ML. His hopes of being adjusted as an MLC or a Rajya Sabha member were also dashed over the years.