The JD(U) leadership is seemingly in an offensive mode over the issue of the Janata Parivar merger a week after the surprising statement of Samajwadi Party leader Ram Gopal Yadav who had also advised the two Bihar-based parties — JD(U) and RJD — to better go for alliance in the Assembly election.
After Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, JD(U) president Sharad Yadav also asserted that the merger has taken place and it was formally announced by Mulayam Singh Yadav, who had been selected as president of the merged entity, after a series of meetings.
Refusing to comment on Ram Gopal Yadav’s statement, the JD(U) chief shot back, “I don’t react on anybody’s comments. Mulayam has already announced merger and only he is empowered to finalise the remaining formalities.” Both Nitish and Sharad have put the ball in the court of Mulayam to clear the situation on merger which he had already announced last month.
RJD supremo lalu Prasad too said that all parties involved have agreed on merger and only some formalities are left to be formalised. “The Janata Parivar is united to give a crushing defeat to the BJP. The voters are ready to give a befitting reply to the BJP for its non-fulfillment of promises. Bihar will prove a Waterloo for the BJP,” said lalu.
Nitish on Monday had said that SP leader Yadav’s statement was of advisory nature and not the official stand. In an oblique reference to Yadav’s statement, Sharad said there was no need to take statement of anybody seriously.
In the JD(U) camps there is wide apprehension that Ram Gopal Yadav’s statement on last Sunday was due to vested interest. Following the merger, Sharad is likely to be made leader of the merged entity in Rajya Sabha replacing Ram Gopal Yadav, who is leader of the SP in the Upper House. The SP leader’s anxiety might be that since Mulayam has been declared leader of the merged entity in the lok Sabha, Ram Gopal could be removed to make way for Sharad in the Rajya Sabha due to his seniority. The SP leader is believed to be opponent of the merger.
Union Minister and lJP chief Ram Vilas Paswan told The Pioneer that according to his information, initially it was planned that six Janata Party constituents including the RJD and JD(U) would merge with the Samajwadi Party and the name of the merged entity would remain Samajwadi Party and also its symbol and flag would remain intact. “There is lack of unanimity in the Samajwadi Party over losing name and symbol of the party after the merger,” he said.
The RJD and JD(U) leaders are confident that their unity would pose a tough challenge to the BJP-led NDA in Bihar Assembly election four months later. “Ours will be a formidable force and that’s why the BJP is desperate. They have tasted defeat in the Assembly by-elections and so they want there should be no unity,” said JD(U) spokesman Sanjay Singh.
BJP leader Sushil Kumar Modi, however, claimed that the unity of lalu and Nitish would favour the BJP. “In that scenario we will be able to remind the people about the 15 years of Jungle Raj and utter failures of the Nitish Government. This deadly combination of Jungle Raj and Corruption Raj is enough to terrorise the voters,” said Modi.