JD (U) falls apart on merger day

Though both the JD (U) and the Samata Party kept the option of unity open through seat adjustments, a direct assault on Fernandes by Lok Shakti chief Ramakrishna Hegde at the merger conference raised serious doubts about even that possibility.

That the Samata would boycott the merger conference was evident when its national executive adopted a resolution earlier in the day that “in the absence of a unified party with a well-defined structure, it will be prudent to contest the coming Assembly elections in four States on respective symbols but with seat adjustments.”

It was feared that in the absence of a well-structured organisation there could be a repeat of what happened during the Karnataka Assembly elections where the Lok Shakti and the Janata Dal could not reconcile their claims and in the process gifting the Congress a runaway victory.

At the merger conference, Hegde lashed out at Fernandes for backing out all of a sudden only because he was refused presidentship. “This means that some people are only after position and power and not for any ideology. Such people cannot be said to be well-wishers of the country,” he said.

Sharad Yadav, who presided over the conference, did not dwell much on Samata’s move and only said: “They have not come … It is up to them.” But, he added, the cadres of both the JD (U) and the Lok Shakti should concentrate on building up the party.

This development should cheer up Laloo Yadav and his Rashtriya Janata Dal which faced the prospect of losing power in the Assembly elections. After all it was the combined strength of the JD (U) and the Samata Party, in association with the BJP, which routed the RJD in the recent Lok Sabha elections.

Presidentship of the unified party apart, the other reason why the Samata backed out is the clash of interests between JD (U)’s Ram Vilas Paswan and Samata’s Nitish Kumar, both of whom are chief ministerial aspirants. Kumar, who kept away from yesterday’s steering committee meeting, in fact is said to have forced the issue.

The claims for a bigger share of seats to be contested is another reason. The Samata is pitching for up to 124 of the total 324 seats, saying that it had been ahead of the BJP in that many seats in the 1995 Assembly elections.

“We made our views known but there was no response from the other side,” Samata general secretary Jaya Jaitley said.

Some efforts were made on behalf of the JD (U) to get Fernandes to come round. Former Karnataka chief minister J H Patel got into the act but all that Fernandes said was that he would get back to him.

Paswan, who had given impression all these days that he was not in favour of Sharad Yadav’s continuation as JD (U) chief, is also likely to take the initiative to bring about a rapprochement. In fact, addressing the merger conference he deliberately refrained from attacking the Samata unlike Hegde who has no stakes in Bihar.

If the unity with the Samata does not come about and it fights the elections on its own, several complications could arise. The status of Samata MPs could be one, for technically they are members of the JD (U). Fernandes in fact is the JD(U) parliamentary party leader.