New Delhi, April 15: Six Janata party descendants today announced their merger under the leadership of former Samajwadi Party leader Mulayam Singh Yadav to take on a resurgent BJP, especially in the context of the upcoming Assembly elections in Bihar later this year.
Mulayam was declared the new party's president and the chairman of its parliamentary board. But there is no word on the new party's name or colours or symbol, let alone policies.
The merger comes almost two decades after the then Janata Dal disintegrated in the 1990s. After several attempts over the last decade, the ruling parties in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh - SP and Janata Dal United - and Janata Dal (Secular), Indian National Lok Dal (INLD), Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and Samajwadi Janata Party (SJP) finally came under an umbrella on Wednesday to form a new party.
Announcing the merger, JDU president Sharad Yadav said a six-member committee would decide on the name of the new party, its symbol, flag and other details. "We have merged," Sharad told reporters following a meeting in which Mulayam, JDU leader Sharad, Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar, RJD chief Lalu Prasad, INLD leader Ajay Chautala and SP leader Shivpal Yadav were in attendance.
The merged outfit's first test would be the Bihar Assembly polls, where Nitish and his one-time bitter rival Lalu have joined hands to take on BJP, which had routed them in the Lok Sabha elections in 2014. Both the leaders were present at the joint news conference.
Lalu said they have come together to "destroy communal forces", and added that Bihar elections would see the beginning of the end of the BJP across the country.
"Our policy is to defeat the communal forces and bring together socialists to establish and egalitarian society," said Lalu. "We have placed the garland of roses on Mulayam ji's neck. Communal forces have cheated voters and have captured the throne. They are polarising this country and have not even spared Mahatma Gandhi from humiliation," he added.
Mulayam termed the merger "a historic decision". "We have united and we assure people that this will be a strong bond. We will respect the feelings of people," Mulayam said.
The SP patriarch said a new national party was needed to take on the Narendra Modi government which had "failed" in fulfilling any of its big promises made during the elections. "This is an arrogant government. For the first time we have a government at Centre which does not consult opposition parties. They made all sorts of promises."
Mulayam said: "Whenever we have come together, we have formed government in Delhi. We will do it again," he said, in a reference to 1977 and 1989, when socialist parties had joined hands to take on the then incumbent Congress.
A six-member committee, including JD(S) head and former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda, Lalu, Om Prakash Chautala of INLD, Sharad, Ram Gopal Yadav of SP and Kamal Morarka of Samajwadi Janata Party would work out on different issues of the new formation, beginning with a name for the party. Ajay Chautala said the formality would be completed in a fortnight.
A source in Janata said the shotgun merger took place to prevent leaders of the constituents from developing cold feet. The problem, source told The Telegraph, was acute in Uttar Pradesh, where the second-rung leadership of the SP has apprehensions over their own fate in a post-Mulayam scenario.
The SP patriarch was granted two important posts, sources said, was to take the wind out of the sails of dissent within his party.
A JDU state president told The Telegraph that contentious issues include the appointment of bosses for state units. "This will create a lot of drama as all our parties have state units with leaders who want some position of power. It's better to first declare the merger and later iron out these issues so people can't back out. Vivaah ke pehle tho vivaad hote hee hain.(There's always debate before a marriage)"
Former Bihar chief minister Jitan Ram Manjhi described the merger of Janata parivar parties as " maha pralay (great devastation)". He said he and 17 other Bihar MLAs would remain in the JDU and move the Election Commission to retain the party symbol.
