The Jharkhand Vikas Morcha (JVM) has resumed its efforts to come close to JD-U and Rastriya lok Dal (RlD); the initiative had been put on the back burner after some headway early this year. Party chief Babulal Marandi has been approached by Bihar Chief Minister and JD-U president Nitish Kumar and got invitation for election campaigning in the upcoming UP Assembly polls.
Top leaders of the party have confirmed this to The Pioneer and said that Marandi would certainly pounce upon the opportunity. “Earlier he was invited to unveil statue of Chaudhury Charan Singh which he could not attend due to his prior engagements in the State. The party is gearing up for any future call which would bring likeminded parties together against the BJP,” said JVM general secretary and legislator Pradeep Yadav.
The parties had shown bonhomie and reportedly had reached to a merger plan with Nitish Kumar spearheading the party nationally and Marandi at helms in Jharkhand. Some other regional satraps were expected to fill in to get a mega bloc against the surging BJP. Even name and symbol of the party were finalised before RlD’s Ajeet Singh pulling out the plug.
Though party insiders believe that Marandi presence per se in UP does not hold much water but back home in Jharkhand. “Nitish Kumar called up Babulal Marandi few days back and has invited him for poll campaign in the favour of RlD over there. He would certainly participate as it would be paid back to us in Jharkhand. This move of ours would work in that direction,” said JVM treasurer KK Poddar.
The party is also upbeat and has claimed that larger part of the Opposition in Jharkhand has accepted Marandi’s leadership which he needed badly. “left parties, Congress and others barring the JMM have agreed to work in the leadership of Babulal Marandi which was also seen in the recent Badkagaon agitation. This would grow in strength with time and our stature in the grand alliance nationally would go up. In the changing scenario Marandi’s taking part in the UP polls would be the first step of our proceeding in that direction,” added Poddar.
Party feels that the step is reciprocal in nature and should be seen as ‘give and take’ kind of gesture. “If we extend our help in whatever capacity to them their help in return to us is also expected. This is the way alliances do work,” said JVM MlA Pradeep Yadav.
Nevertheless, the party is little dampened with the fact that the lalu Prasad Yadav-led party RJD is fighting on different footing in UP and siding with ruling Samajwadi Party. “There may be some compulsions in the middle but had they been together in UP like they are in Bihar, it would have been even better,” explained Poddar.