Rameshwar Prasad

Rameshwar Prasad hails from a Nonia family and is the son of a brick-kiln worker.[4] Prasad dropped out of school in 1979, to become a full-time activist of the party.[5] He studied at Bansidhari High School, Bharatpura, Bihar.[2]

He was elected to the Lok Sabha, the lower house of the Indian national parliament, in 1989 as the Indian People's Front candidate from the Arrah constituency[5][6] by securing 178,211 votes.[7] He became the first Naxalite Member of Parliament from Bihar.[4] His election slogan was har mazdur ko roziroti, har dalit ko man; har kisan ko khet-pani, har yuvak ko kam ('Daily bread for every worker, dignity for every Dalit, water and land for every farmer, employment for every youth').[4] He was the only candidate of Indian Peoples' Front to get elected in those elections.[8]

Prasad lost his parliamentary seat in the 1991 Lok Sabha election, again standing as an Indian People's Front candidate. His vote had dropped to 117,262 (17.17%, finishing in third place).[9] Prasad came third in the Arrah seat in the 1996 Lok Sabha election, with 146,398 votes (22.97%).[10] He contested the Arrah Lok Sabha seat again in the 1999 election, again finishing third with 141,939 votes (20.82%).[11]

In 2006, CPI(ML)Liberation nominated Prasad to contest a by-poll for the Nalanda Lok Sabha seat.[12] Prasad obtained 17,515 votes (5.62%).[13]

There are seven cases of Cognizable offence under Indian Penal Code, Arms Act 1959 and Explosive Substances Act 1883 against Prasad in various Districts of Bihar[2] In 2000, there was a violent confrontation had occurred at Arrah Collectorate and Court in connection with a protest against a police killing of a CPI(ML)Liberation activist. Prasad and others have been accused of leading with others, a mob of 1500 to 2000 persons who entered into the premises of Collectorate and Civil Court of Arrah who pelted stones and also exploded bombs.[21] Four CPI(ML)Liberation activists were killed in the police firing. CPI(ML)Liberation asserts that the local police had lodged criminal cases against the CPI(ML)Liberation leaders (including Prasad) as a retaliatory measure.[19] His party strongly condemned the arrest of Prasad, labeling it 'illegal'.[22] He has been charged under Sections 147, 148, 149, 323, 324, 307, 337, 353, 332, 333 and 182 of the Indian Penal Code, Sections 3 and 4 of the Explosive Substances Act 1883 and Section 27 of the Arms Act 1959.[21]

Rameshwar Prasad was granted bail by the Patna High Court on 10 November 2010. Prasad had pleaded that he was only a member of the mob. Court granted him bail on furnishing bail bond of ₹ 10,000 with two sureties of the like amount.[21]