Front back to square one on RJD entry

NEW DELHI, July 19: Two days after it thought it had finally shut its doors on the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), the United Front found itsel...

NEW DELHI, July 19: Two days after it thought it had finally shut its doors on the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), the United Front found itself back to square one on the issue which threatens to split the 14-party coalition.

Succumbing to the pressure from the DMK, Tamil Maanila Congress and even the Telugu Desam Party, UF leaders feel that in the larger interest of the coalition it would be best to have a fresh look at the twin-issues of the entry of Chief Minister Laloo Prasad Yadav’s RJD into the Front, and the continuance of three Union Ministers — Raghuvansh Prasad Singh, Jai Narain Prasad Nishad and Kanti Singh — in the Gujral government.

Following Karunanidhi’s denial that the RJD had been refused entry into the UF, it has been decided that the matter would be discussed afresh on July 25 the day on which the core committee meets again.

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CPI general secretary A B Bardhan, while speaking to mediapersons at Bhubaneswar today, admitted as much when he said that a final decision on the admission of the RJD into the UF would be taken in the core committee meeting scheduled for July 25.

He, however, added that there was no possibility of any division in the UF on the issue of inducting the RJD into the Front, and if some differences did exist, they were related to the approach of various Front constituents to the issue.Sharad Yadav, however, admitted that there was a difference of opinion in the UF on the RJD’s entry.

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