Biratnagar, December 28:

The ongoing rift in the Madhesi Janaadhikar Forum took a new turn yesterday after a frustrated group of the MJF’s Morang district committee elected Tara Chand Yadav as the chairman.

Claiming that the district convention of the party held in Rangeli on December 6 was illegitimate, the frustrated group held another convention in a local guest house yesterday. With this convention, the party in the district has split in two. Besides the chairman, the convention unanimously elected three office bearers in the district committee — Bhim Lal Tharu Bhagat as vice-chairman, Tullu Ram Rajbanshi as secretary and Chuma Narayan Tabadar as treasurer. The Rangeli convention had elected a 21-member district executive committee with Jaya Ram Yadav as chairman.

“The election in the Rangeli convention violated the party statute. Jaya Ram Yadav does not command the support of all party cadres,” the disgruntled group alleged. Tara Chand Yadav claimed that the committee led by him was the legitimate one. “The Rangeli convention was illegitimate. The presence of MJF’s parliamentary party leader Bijaya Kumar Gachhadar and joint coordinator Jaya Prakash Prasad Gupta in our convention gives legitimacy to our committee,” he added.

However, Mrityunjaya Jha, secretary of the committee led by Jaya Ram Yadav, said yesterday’s convention was organised by a group of infiltrators to spread confusion that the party had split. He added that the district committee had expelled 27 members — including Tara Chand Yadav, Bhim Lal Bhagat Tharu and Tullu Ram Rajbanshi — six months before.