The JD(U) said in a statement that its president and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has appointed Rajiv Ranjan Prasad as its national spokesperson.
He attributed Tyagi’s resignation to “personal reasons”.
In his letter to Kumar, the former MP and socialist leader said he has not been able to do justice as a spokesperson due to his involvement in other jobs.
He said he had also made the request previously.
Tyagi, party leaders said, will continue in his other role as “political adviser”.
Delhi-based Tyagi, who enjoys an unlikely high profile in the national media for a regional party leader due to his experience and articulation, is believed to have been seen by many within his party as damaging to ties between the BJP and the JD(U) by frequent comments on central government policies.
Be it the Uniform Civil Code, the Waqf Amendment Bill, the side issue or even the Palestine issue, among other issues, his articulation of the JD(U)’s stance different from that of the BJP created a stir and left the saffron party unamused.
He was the only member of the ruling National Democratic Alliance at a recent meeting, attended by several members of opposition parties, with Mohammad Makram Balawi, secretary-general of the League of Parliamentarians.
In a joint statement, the participants accused Israel of “genocide” against Palestinians and called on the Indian government to stop arms sales to the country.
While his views often, though not always, reflected the party’s ideological position, a section of the JD(U) was uncomfortable with Tyagi’s willingness to air his views when its top leaders were mostly playing it safe.
His seniority meant that few leaders, barring Nitish Kumar, who has of late relied more on other party colleagues to steer organisational matters, could steer his stance.
With two senior JD(U) leaders – Union minister Lalan Singh and his party’s parliamentary leader Sanjay Jha – representing the party in national politics, sources said there is a view that both leaders should be left to shape ties with the BJP without frequent public interjections from Tyagi.
It may be noted that the BJP has been seeking allies to maintain coordination and harmony in the ruling National Democratic Alliance as it attempts to quell reports of differences in the bloc.
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