RJD chief Lalu Prasad sounded the poll bugle and presented a blueprint to party legislators, asking them to follow it to defeat the BJP in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

Interacting with the RJD MLAs and MLCs at a closed-door meeting at the residence of his wife and former chief minister Rabri Devi in Patna on Monday evening, Lalu divided the plan into spreading awareness about the destructive rule of the BJP and following it up by fighting on the issues plaguing the common people.

“You all should tell the people about the present condition of the country. Spread awareness among them about inflation, unemployment, communal frenzy, politics of hate, vendetta politics, misuse of constitutional institutions, and the poor shape of the economy. Start this among the public after the ongoing monsoon session of the state legislature ends,” Lalu told the legislators.

The monsoon session of the Bihar legislature started on Monday and will end on Friday.

Lalu said: “The farmers, labourers, and youth across the country are in trouble. The common people are facing difficult times due to the rising prices of everything. Our party’s role increases in this situation.

“We have never allowed any damage to the nation’s communal harmony and unity. We have never compromised with the communal and divisive forces. This is the capital of our party and we need to spread it.”

The RJD legislators took the party chief’s address as the signal to go out in the field and prepare for the forthcoming general elections.

“We have been asked to go out among the people. We are going to follow our party chief’s directions,” a senior RJD leader said.

Lalu's directions to his party legislators assume significance because he is one of the strong supporters of Opposition unity. He participated in the June 23 Opposition unity meet in Patna and will attend the next one scheduled in Bangalore on July 17-18.

With 40 Lok Sabha seats, Bihar is the fourth-largest state in terms of representation after Uttar Pradesh (80 seats), Maharashtra (48) and Bengal (42). It gave 39 seats to the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance in the 2019 elections.

However, it will be difficult for the NDA to repeat the performance in 2024 due to the Grand Alliance, of which the RJD, the Janata Dal United, the Congress and the Left parties are members.

Even if there is no broad-based Opposition unity or coalition in the country, the Grand Alliance can queer the pitch for the NDA in the next Lok Sabha elections, inflicting a loss of several seats.