Janjivan Bureau
NEW DELHI: Lalu Prasad Yadav caused disquiet in JD(U) with remarks that former Bihar CM Jitan Ram Manjhi, a detractor of Kumar, should also be made part of the “broader unity” against the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). As the highly-anticipated merger of Janata Parivar is heading for an uncertain fate.Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Prasad will hold talks with Samajwadi Party president Mulayam Singh Yadav in the national capital Today, amid continuing differences over formalising a merger before the state Assembly polls.
However, Lalu’s open invitation to Manjhi – the archrival of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar – has left the ruling JD(U) fuming.
The RJD president stressed the need for the unity of all secular leaders, including Manjhi, to keep the BJP away from power in the state.
“Whether it is a merger or an alliance, I think there is a need for a broader unity of parties opposed to the BJP,” Lalu said in Patna before leaving for Delhi for the proposed talks with Samajwadi Party president Mulayam Singh Yadav on the merger issue. “I think everybody, including Manjhi, should come forward for a common cause,” said Lalu.
Lalu’s views were strongly supported by the RJD vice-president Raghuvansh Prasad Singh, who later said Manjhi should not be allowed to join forces with the BJP. “Manjhi has always been with us, first as a minister and then as the chief minister,” he said. “We cannot afford to let him switch over to the BJP camp and weaken our cause at a time when we are trying to unite secular forces.”
Raghuvansh said he had earlier opposed to the ouster of Manjhi as the chief minister. “But whatever happened, the JD-U should now be liberal enough to let Manjhi be part of the united secular front.”
The JD(U), however, brushed aside the suggestion. The party’s Bihar unit president Vashishtha Narayan Singh said Manjhi was with the JD(U), which had even chosen him as the chief minister. “But he chose to go his own way,” he said. “Under such circumstances, the views of the JD(U) on Manjhi should be most important.”
The Manjhi camp also turned down Lalu’s invitation. Former minister Brishin Patel said there was no question of any ties with Lalu until he severed all links with Nitish. “We have already made our stand clear that we are open for talks with any alliance that will not have Nitish,” he said.
Manjhi, who has floated a new political party called Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM), had earlier announced that he would not like to go for any pre-poll alliance. He had, however, said he was ready to align with Lalu only if the RJD chief parted ways with Nitish and accepted him as the chief ministerial candidate.
The RJD’s support to Manjhi came at a time when the party’s ties with the JD(U) are under strain over the seat-sharing formula for the upcoming Assembly elections. Both the parties are yet to work out any mutually acceptable formula for the Assembly polls.
The JD(U)’s national general secretary K.C. Tyagi admitted that the seat-sharing issue was a big challenge for both the sides, but he was hopeful that it would be sorted out.
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